Education Commons^™

Perceived Principal Servant Leadership And Teacher Stress, Donald Harris

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Stress is one of the major factors in teacher attrition, a continuing problem in education. Further contributing to teacher stress are state and federal accountability measures, which put added pressure on schools and teachers to increase student performance. School leaders must navigate not only how to keep pace with these accountability practices, but how to do so in a manner that does not increase the stress on their teachers. To seek answers in how this might be accomplished, this paper investigates the relationship between perceived principal servant leadership characteristics and occupational stress in teachers. Data was collected using the Wilson …

An Explorational Study Of Educational Leaders' Attitudes, Opinions, Understanding, And Application Of Student Growth Percentile (Sgp) Data, J Lyn Turnell

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Student Growth Percentiles have recently become popular as a way to report student progress over time. Because of the perception that they are relatively simple to understand, they have also become a popular tool to use when evaluating teachers and school-based administrators, even though this is not the purpose of their design. Previous studies have examined the impact of student growth measures on teachers who are evaluated annually with a tool that includes a component of student growth. This study builds on the previous work of Clauser, Keller, and McDermott (2016) and Collins (2014). It examines the actions and opinions …

Perceived Leadership Style And The Adequate Yearly Progress Status Of Title I Elementary Schools, Gennifer Lynn Miller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this correlational study was to determine the correlation between perceived leadership style and academic achievement in Title I Virginia elementary schools as measured by Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status. The results of this study could provide education institutions and school districts with insight regarding education for school administration that would enhance characteristics that may increase academic achievement. The researcher examined the correlation between principals’ perceived leadership styles and the AYP status of Title I elementary schools in Virginia through the use of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and Virginia Report Cards, through a point-biserial correlation analysis. This study …

Principal Leaders And College And Career Readiness Programs, Inna Goretaya Polishchuk

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the intersection of high school principals and college and career readiness initiatives in five high school contexts. Because school principals are responsible for setting the vision in a school, college and career readiness initiatives have the potential to overlap significantly with the principal’s direction of the school. Moreover, studies indicate college and career readiness programs might rely on the active support of the school administrator if they are to succeed. What the school leader cares about tends to be what staff focus on; therefore, this study examines how three factors influence the effectiveness of a college and …

The Relationship Between Distributive Leadership, School Culture, And Teacher Self-Efficacy At The Middle School Level, Anthony L. Demarco

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Recent and established research continues to demonstrate the need for school leaders to adapt their leadership practices to reflect the increasing demands associated with their role. This is particularly true for principals of large middle schools. Through the implementation of a distributive leadership framework, a principal can share responsibilities with qualified staff while promoting an institution-wide culture of trust that empowers teachers.

The purpose of this correlational, quantitative research study was to examine the extent to which relationships exist between distributed leadership, school culture, and the self-efficacy of teachers within public middle schools in central New Jersey. This study was …

Exploring The Interdependence Of Trust And Communication In The Teacher-Principal Relationship, Jon Oliver Downs

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research explored teacher and principal perceptions of trust and communication in the teacher-principal relationship. Through in-depth interviews, research participants provided perceived characteristics needed for effective teachers, principals, and teacher-principal relationships, and pointed out characteristics detrimental to the effectiveness of the teacher-principal relationship. The research utilized past research in organizational communication, trust, and trust and communication within the teacher-principal relationship and other important components of effective teacher-principal relationships to provide a literary foundation for the study. The research identified perceptions of teachers and principals with respect to communication and trust in the teacher-principal relationship, and identified what priorities successful first-year …

The Role Of Leadership In School Innovation: A Case Study, Savannah Adkins Denning

Dissertations

Expansive research on leadership, particularly school leadership, has suggested leaders have an indirect impact on student outcomes, as leaders build a school’s academic capacity, which elevates teaching and learning (Hallinger, 2010). Though there is significant empirical research regarding school leadership, there is a lack of research investigating the intersection of leadership and innovation. In terms of innovation, “personalized learning,” has become an emerging topic among education researchers, as scholars seek to understand the potential impact personalized learning strategies have on student outcomes.

The purpose of this study was to explore how leadership interacts with innovation. This study specifically explored the …

A Case Study Of How Principals Create Collaborative Environments, Amy Blakey

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This study examines the perceptions of principals and their respective teachers regarding the principals’ abilities to create a collaborative environment at the elementary level. Isolation of teachers has been a historical practice in most American schools and contributed to a lack of growth among practitioners. Increasing collaboration and ending isolation is one way to improve our country’s educational system for students and teachers. The methodology applied in this study employed a qualitative multiple case study design which provided an in-depth perspective of three elementary school principals and staff respective staff. The major findings of the data collected from interviews, focus …

An Analysis Of Principal Burnout And Job-Person Fit Among Elementary, Middle, And High School Principals In Alabama, David West

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This causal-comparative, quantitative study examined the relationship between elementary, middle, and high school principals’ level of burnout and job-person fit. The purpose of this study was to identify the congruence of school principal burnout by examining the dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Job-person fit was explored by comparing the principal and his or her work environment. The six key domains of worklife (i.e., workload, control, community, reward, fairness, and values) were examined using the Areas of Worklife Survey, and data on the level of burnout were collected using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator’s Survey. The data in the …

The Differences Between Principal And Teacher Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities In California Schools, Michael Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Effective Professional Learning Communities are one tool schools utilize to ensure that student achievement improvement is prioritized. Professional Learning Communities help educators increase their professional knowledge and minimize conflict amongst colleagues. Additionally, teachers who regularly participate in a Professional Learning Community have students who reach higher achievement benchmarks than the students of their non-participating peers. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a statistically significant difference existed between principal perceptions and teacher perceptions of Professional Learning Communities as measured by the Professional Learning Communities Assessment—Revised. A sample of 49 principals and 53 teachers from 49 schools in California …

Performance Feedback: How Structure, Culture, And Agency Affects Feedback, Angelica Sleiman

Dissertations

Federal and state mandates have placed an added pressure on teachers to demonstrate “effective” instructional practices. These mandates also affect the role of a principal, as an evaluator of “effective” instructional strategies, and as an instructional leader who continuously needs to build teacher capacity to satisfy these mandates. Accountability mandates promise to improve students’ academic performance but they have lacked professional development that would provide the support teachers and principals need to achieve success. Feedback is arguably a valuable mechanism to build teacher capacity and respond to accountability pressures, however, the implementation of feedback and its consequences for teacher’s professional …

Teacher Evaluation–Study Of Minnesota Secondary School Principals Related To The Amount Of Time Necessary To Implement Common Teacher Evaluation Models, Todd Tetzlaff

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

The study measured perceptions of select secondary school principals in Minnesota regarding the teacher evaluation model utilized in their schools and the amount of time principals commit to the process of evaluating their teachers.

Research questions were answered through analysis of data from a survey including principal demographics, the teacher evaluation model utilized in the principal’s school, the volume of time principals’ report devoting to teacher evaluation and principal perceptions related to the extent to which the teacher evaluation model improves teacher performance.

The responses received showed that 60.5% of respondents were using a model based on Charlotte Danielson and …

Unlocking Creative Potential: Catholic Elementary School Principal Perceptions Of Creativity, Kellie Scherer

Doctoral Dissertations

Church documents and scholars affirm that traditional pedagogies are ineffective in preparing students for the demands of the 21st century (CCE, 2014, p. 13, Darling-Hammond, 2010; Hartley, 2003; Kampylis, 2010; Skiba, Tan, Sternberg & Grigorenko, 2010). A review of the literature revealed that a gap in research on the Catholic elementary school principal’s understanding of and commitment to creativity exists. Even teachers who value creativity cannot fully support its development in the classroom without proper training. Continuing education coordinated by principals is one of the few opportunities for teachers to identify and confront their creativity misconceptions. The purpose of this …

Principal Professional Development And Principal Self-Efficacy In An Urban School District., Brian Thomas Garrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educator professional development (PD) is a heavily relied upon method for school improvement, and administrator professional development (APD) is a key element to nearly all school reform efforts. District-wide APD in large school districts can carry a heavy cost in financial and human resources. Moreover, PD is frequently too inadequately planned and/or implemented to bring about lasting positive change in educator practice, school reform, and student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between principal PD focused on culture/climate or instruction and principal self-efficacy in an urban school district. Through hierarchical linear multiple regression (HLMR), this …

A Phenomenological Study Of K-12 School Campus Administrators' Experiences Sustaining Professional Learning Communities, Brandy Huguet

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to examine administrators’ experiences sustaining professional learning communities (PLCs) in three Southeast Louisiana school districts. At this stage of the research, sustained PLCs will be defined as professional learning communities that have been established using The System for Teacher and Student Advancement (TAP) and/or Best Practices Center (BPC) structures and continued for two or more years. The questions guiding this research sought to discover how administrators describe their roles in sustaining PLCs in Louisiana schools, what structures administrators perceive necessary to sustain PLCs, how administrators support an environment conducive to sustaining PLCs, …

Human Resource Management Practices For Public School Principals: Recruitment, Selection, And Development, David E. Atherton

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Increasing complexities of educational contexts intensify the importance of hiring effective principals and using systematic support to shift from manager to instructional leader. Using a systematic framework of support is responsive and adaptive to contextual and personnel variables affecting principal human resource management (HRM). It was not known what HRM practices districts used to recruit, select, and develop principals in Oregon public school districts. Using a qualitative methodology, a descriptive case study surveyed (using Farr’s, 2004 and Van de Water’s, 1987 instruments) and interviewed (using Hensley, Kracht, & Strange’s, 2013 interview protocol) district administrators, triangulating with document analysis of 2016‒17 …

The Role Of The Principal In School Reform, Michael Fullan

Occasional Paper Series

Fullan examines the principal's role in school improvement and reform. He describes where principals are and what they do and don't do in relation to change. He then talks about the complexity of leadership and offers guidelines for how principals might lead change more effectively.

Introduction: A Principaled Approach, Patricia A. Wasley, Judith Rizzo

Occasional Paper Series

This introduction highlights the collaboration between Bank Street College and the New York City Board of Education who developed an approach to preparing principals that has proved highly effective. Wasley and Rizzo briefly describe the program's history and its evolution, and concludes by analyzing why it has worked so well and what they would do to further strengthen the approach.

The Exemplary High School Principal: A Mixed Methods Study Of How Personal Motivation And Professional Core Values Influence The Practice, Priorities And Decisions Of Award-Winning School Leaders, Erin Luby

Dissertations

This study of award-winning high school principals was designed to distill lessons from highly effective school leaders. The research explored how personal motivation and professional core values influence the practice, priorities and decisions of exemplary principals. The research followed a sequential explanatory mixed methods design. Participants included school leaders across a 10-state region who won their State Principal of the Year award from 2007 to 2017. The first phase of data collection utilized a survey, and the second phase was comprised of semi-structured interviews.

Principals indicated they were motivated to become educators because of their desire to have a positive …

The Relationship Between Teacher Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities And Student Achievement, Elmer Thomas

Online Theses and Dissertations

A significant challenge facing public schools is the need to increase student achievement while having student gains enhanced through growth models. Teaching strategies/methods have evolved over the years from an "island" approach where the teacher was alone in his/her classroom and responsible for students progressing to a broader yet more specific approach to teacher professional development in order to enhance student learning.

Districts, schools, and individual teachers have long valued professional development and professional learning. These educational professional learning opportunities collectively give the district, school, and individual teachers a community at work in which a collective focus and commitment to …

Principal Leadership Style, Teacher Motivation, And Teacher Retention, Willie E. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem of teacher turnover in the United States has received significant attention from policymakers and district leaders. Improving teacher motivation is a concern and challenge for principals because they are faced with retaining highly qualified and capable teachers in the classroom. Researchers have indicated that principals can play a crucial role in motivating teachers. This nonexperimental correlational study used Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory and the leadership theories of Burns, Avolio, and Bass as a framework to address 2 research questions. The first research question examined the relationship between principal leadership style and teacher motivation, and the second question …

Perceptions Of Principal Leadership Skills In High-Achieving Elementary Schools, Sonya Lasyon Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was the inability of certain schools in a rural school district in Florida to achieve adequate yearly progress (AYP) in comparison to a neighboring school district where students consistently made AYP. Research has shown a positive relationship between student achievement and principal leadership skills. The purpose of this study was to identify patterns in elementary teachers' perceptions of their principals' leadership skills related to student achievement and elementary principals' perceptions of their own leadership practices and compare those perceptions. The conceptual framework for this qualitative case study design was instructional leadership. Twelve teachers of …