THREE AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITIONS: THE PIANO WORKS THEY COMMISSIONED BETWEEN 1962 AND 2012

Over a period of 50 years—between 1962 and 2012—three preeminent American piano competitions, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the University of Maryland International Piano Competition/William Kapell International Piano Competition and the San Antonio International Piano Competition, commissioned for inclusion on their required performance lists 26 piano works, almost all by American composers. These compositions, works of sufficient artistic depth and technical sophistication to serve as rigorous benchmarks for competition finalists, constitute a unique segment of the contemporary American piano repertoire. Although a limited number of these pieces have found their way into the performance repertoire of concert artists, too many have not been performed since their premières in the final rounds of the competitions for which they were designed. Such should not be the case. Some of the composers in question are innovative titans of 20th-century American music—Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, John Cage, John Corigliano, William Schuman, Joan Tower and Ned Rorem, to name just a few—and many of the pieces themselves, as historical touchstones, deserve careful examination. This study includes, in addition to an introductory overview of the three competitions, a survey of all 26 compositions and an analysis of their expressive characteristics, from the point of view of the performing pianist. Numerous musical examples support the analysis. Biographical information about the composers, along with descriptions of their overall musical styles, place these pieces in historical context. Analytical and technical comprehension of this distinctive and rarely performed corner of the modern classical piano world could be of inestimable value to professional pianists, piano pedagogues and music educators alike.

A NARRATIVE CASE STUDY EXAMINING THE EXPEREINCES OF MEN TEACHING SPECIAL EDUCATION IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES

Over the past several decades, the landscape of the workplace has changed in many industrialized nations. In the United States this time period has seen the outright elimination or outsourcing of well-paying “blue collar” jobs. The workforce continues to evolve, change, and become more global, and men and women are making nontraditional occupational decisions, whether by choice or necessity. The traditional views of men and women have begun to shift. However, gender assumptions about masculinity have failed to keep pace with the shift. There are approximately 1.8 million elementary grade level teachers in United States public schools; of these, a mere 9% are male. The paucity of male teachers in the elementary grades has been a concern for many years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 86% of all special education teachers are female. In 2012, 86.2% of all special education teachers were female, and by the following year, the number had dropped to 80.4%. The evidence indicates that more men are embarking on nontraditional career paths. Despite theses changes there is minimal research looking at the experiences of men working as special education teachers My goal in this study was to obtain a better understanding of the influences on and the process by which men make the decision to pursuing a career teaching special education in the elementary grades. The study utilized social role theory (Eagly, 1987), and Stead’s (2014) social constructionist theory as well as Williams’ (1992) glass escalator proposition The findings of this study confirm some of the factors related to career choice, experiences and barriers faced by men in nontraditional careers detailed in the literature. Three themes emerged for each research question: Experiences, advocacy, and benefits. Three themes emerged around the second research question exploring the experiences of men in a female-concentrated profession: The male body, communication, and perception. Three themes arose around the third research question: administration, My Masculinity, and pay. The findings run counter to Williams’ glass escalator proposition, which posits men working in female-concentrated professions are at an advantage. The findings advance support for Buschmeyer’s theory of (2013) alternative masculinity.

Principal Effectiveness: Middle School Leaders' Perceptions Of Principal Practices To Improve Middle School Reading Achievement

ABSTRACT Title of Document: PRINCIPAL EFFECTIVENESS: MIDDLE SCHOOL LEADERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF PRINCIPAL PRACTICES TO IMPROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL READING ACHIEVEMENT Kathleen R. Brady, Doctor of Education, 2016 Directed By: Dr. John Norris, Department of Education The purpose of this exploratory and descriptive study was to examine school leaders’ perceptions of leadership practices that contribute to principal effectiveness in improving reading achievement in middle schools in a large public school district. The data was gathered through the use of a Web-based survey that was emailed to 97 school based leaders including 20 principals, 40 assistant principals, 17 reading department chairpersons, and 20 professional development lead teachers in middle schools with grade 6-8 and 7-8 configurations. Data were collected and analyzed in order to make inferences about principal practices at middle school. The findings of this study indicated few differences between middle school principals’, assistant principals’, reading department chairpersons’, and professional development lead teachers’ perceptions of principal leadership practices that are most important to and have the greatest impact on student reading achievement success. Furthermore, the findings indicated that participants’ three top ranked resources needed to increase the effectiveness of principals in order to improve reading achievement at middle schools include implementing a collaborative planning protocol to support literacy instruction, adding a reading coach to the middle school staff, and providing professional development activities focused on literacy instruction across the content areas. The results were used to make recommendations that may contribute to middle school principal effectiveness.