Education Commons^™

Relationships Between School Principals’ Perceived Technology Self-Efficacy And The Perceived Ability To Lead Technological Innovation In The Covid-19 Pandemic Era, Jonathan S. Krawchuk

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, education has evolved into non-traditional models inclusive of blended classrooms or fully remote classrooms in which students do not physically attend school in person. As a result, the supportive role of the building principals has rapidly and dramatically changed the way they support their students and staff in the ever-evolving educational system that we find ourselves today. This study sought to investigate the interactions and/or relationships that may exist between building principals reported self-efficacy and their technology leadership abilities in conjunction with demographic information provided by participants. Two surveys were used, the Tschannen-Moran self-efficacy survey …

Principals’ Perceptions Of Enabling And Hindering Behaviors, Rules, And Structures In New York State School Districts, Matthew W. Darby

Theses and Dissertations

There has been increasing recognition among researchers and practitioners that the demands of the principalship have become unsustainable. School districts play a pivotal role in supporting school leaders in the execution of their responsibilities. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to further uncover how school district bureaucracies enable and hinder the work of principals. In the quantitative phase of the study the researcher analyzed survey responses from 244 New York State principals to determine the extent to which district structures were perceived as hindering or enabling their work. In the qualitative phase, the researcher interviewed two principals, one …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Instructional Walkthroughs And The Resulting Feedback, Germaine Monteil Harden-Brooks

Theses and Dissertations

The role of the principal and the assistant principal has changed dramatically. Principals were considered solely managers; however, now their role includes the responsibility of being instructional leaders. The assistant principal was responsible for the clerical chores and tasked solely to be a disciplinarian. However, due to educational reforms such as Race to the Top, the expectation of both the principal and the assistant principal is to support teachers as instructional leaders. To fulfill the responsibility of supporting teachers’ instructional practices, principals and assistant principals conduct instructional walkthroughs and provide feedback at least two times a year via the Teacher …

A Comparative Study Of Principals' Perceptions Of Bilingual Education In School Districts In South Texas, Enrique H. De La Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

At a time when school leaders are held accountable for academic achievement and student growth, this study served to inform school leaders, who implement bilingual education programs, on the influence their perceptions have in their students’ academic success. This study examined and described elementary principals’ perceptions about bilingual education in a district implementing an early-exit bilingual program and in a district implementing a dual language bilingual program and its effectiveness to help ELLs achieve academic success. The study focused in determining if elementary principals’ perceptions were a function of their bilingual proficiency or language discourse, level of academic knowledge of …

Diversity In School Leadership: Re-Conceptualizing The Narrative Of Black Male School Principals And Assistant Principals For Recruitment And Retention, James Avery

Theses and Dissertations

Educational leadership is one of the most vastly explored topics in education. School principals and assistant principals make up a substantial portion of those in leadership positions. Experiences in educational leadership have been chronicled for a number of years; however, the diversity in the recorded lived experiences is lacking. To that end, the purpose of this study was to contribute to the literature by developing an understanding of and recording the essence of Black males’ experiences working in K-12 school leadership positions.

The intersection of race and gender has been proven to create dynamics which impact the enactment of leadership …

Examining The Relationship Between Beliefs And Perceived Experiences During Assistant Principal Preparation For The Role Of Principal, Tonya Holcomb Wallace

Theses and Dissertations

Principals have been expected to serve as managers and leaders of curriculum and instruction while facing intense accountability and had to be good communicators capable of building relationships within their school and with community stakeholders. School complexity increased challenges leaders faced, so educational leaders utilized research-based strategies to develop professional resilience and grow in the face of adversity. In preparation for school principalship, assistant principals needed to move beyond school operation and management roles to become a viable candidate for career advancement. Limited research exists describing the preparation of assistant principals for advancement. The purpose of this convergent mixed methods …

A Case Study Of Stakeholders’ Perceptions Of A Principal’S Behaviors That Influence School Climate, Classroom Practices, And Student Achievement In A Title I School, Kristy F. Budny

Theses and Dissertations

Public schools have increasingly transformed throughout the years, and the growth in suburban areas has brought many diversified schools that sometimes mirror schools in an urban setting (Kneebone and Berube,2013). Building principals, particularly those in charge of Title I schools, face numerous challenges each day within their buildings (Kahlenberg, 2001). Not only have the demands of high-stakes testing increased over the years, other external factors also present challenges within the school setting. While the school stakeholders play an integral role in how the school is shaped, the building principal’s behaviors ultimately serve as the overarching guide in shaping how the …

Development Of Trust And Collaboration Between Teachers In Plc Teams: The Roles Of Teachers, Principals And Different Facets Of Trust, Henry Hank Ryan Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are being recognized as a leading strategy to improve student achievement. Trust is critical in effectively implementing the PLC model, and the school principal is best positioned to influence school trust levels. Using Hoy and Tschannen-Moran's (1999) five facets of trust, this research sought to clarify the impact of trust among PLC teachers on their team's collaborative practices. Focus group data were collected from 12 collaborative teams in 4 schools. Six of the teams were from one school that was struggling to implement the PLC model; the other six teams were from three schools that were …

One Principal's Educational Leadership In A Rural And Low-Performing Middle School In Virginia: A Case Study, Clara Lynn Fletcher Sodat

Theses and Dissertations

This case study examined the leadership practices of one middle school principal in a low-performing rural school in Virginia. The experienced principal participant was in his first year of leadership at the school; he had led other low-performing schools to improved achievement that resulted in earning state accreditation as well as meeting federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) student proficiency targets. The focus school had failed to meet AYP for five consecutive years. The qualitative research design for this study included in-depth, semi-structured interviews with teachers, the principal, the assistant principal, and the principal’s supervisor; a total of 18 interviews were …

Headteacher Visibility, Teacher Characteristics, And Headteacher Trustworthiness: Perceptions Of Secondary School Teachers In Mukono District, Uganda, David Mckay Boren

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that students perform better academically in schools with higher levels of trust than in schools with lower levels of trust. School leaders are primarily responsible for building cultures of trust but are often at a loss as to how to do so effectively. With the assumption that as perceptions of school leader trustworthiness improve, teachers will be more likely to place their trust in that school leader, this research seeks to clarify how Ugandan headteachers improve teachers' perceptions of headteacher trustworthiness. In particular, we examined how specific types of headteacher visibility related to teachers' perceptions of headteacher relational …

Perceptions Of State-Funded, School District-Based Principal Preparation Programs In Virginia 2004-2006, Kathryn Kirk

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods case study described and analyzed the 2004-2006 district-based principal preparation programs in Virginia. This dissertation explored goals stated in proposals for funding as well as program director and program completer perceptions of goals, content, processes, and outcomes for the 10 principal preparation programs that stemmed from the Commission to Review, Study, and Reform Educational Leadership. Data collection employed three phases: Phase I focused on the 10 grant proposals; Phase II involved semistructured interview questions centered on perceptions of nine participating program directors; Phase III investigated perceptions of 75 program completers who responded to a web-based survey. Data …

Trust Me, I'M The Principal! A New Conceptual Model Of Trust For Educational Leaders, Bryan W. Blair

Theses and Dissertations

The ultimate aim of this work is to contribute to the knowledge of how trust influences and relates to those practices that best support student development and growth as educated and productive citizens, prepared to share in our democratic society-which is the ultimate purpose of our schools (Dewey & Dewey, 1915). Specifically, this thesis investigates the role of trust in relationships between school principals and teachers. A comparative analysis of available literature was conducted using grounded theory methodologies to inform the development of a proposed conceptual model describing the role of trust in organizational processes within the school, specifically between …