Education Commons^™

Introduction To The Focus Section: School Leaders And Contemplative Practice, Merylann "Mimi" J. Schuttloffel Phd

Journal of Catholic Education

Introduction to the Focus Section

Latino And Latina Urban Elementary Principals’ Entry Into Educational Administration, José Montaño

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

As school enrollments across the United States include increasing numbers of students of color, the number of administrators of color remains disproportionate. In California school districts, where a large percentage of students are Latino and Latina, Latino and Latina principals remain rare. While studies have suggested why Latinos and Latinas do not enter educational leadership, fewer have examined why they do elect to enter the field. This ethnographic exploratory study examines factors that led Latino and Latina educators to enter administrative leadership preparation programs with the goal of becoming school principals. The sample includes interviews with seven Latino and Latina …

A Standards-Based Approach To Catholic Principal Preparation: A Case Study, Sandria D. Morten Ed.D., Geralyn A. Lawler

Journal of Catholic Education

Illinois’ recent redesign of the principal certification program requires the integration of the Interstate School Leaders Licensure (ISLLC) standards as well as the Southern Regional Education Board Critical Success Factors standards into the coursework and internship, establishing a focus on preparation for instructional leadership. The alignment to secular standards poses a challenge for Catholic institutes of higher education who seek to prepare aspiring Catholic school principals to be instructional, managerial, and faith leaders (Ciriello, 1994). During their own redesign, Loyola University Chicago utilized the National Standards and Benchmarks of Effective Catholic Schools to create Catholic School Principal Competencies, a list …

Australian Catholic Schools Today: School Identity And Leadership Formation, Helga Neidhart Phd, Janeen T. Lamb Phd

Journal of Catholic Education

This article focuses on the challenge of faith leadership in Catholic schools. In particular, it reviews Australian research that aims to understand how principals conceptualize and enact their role as faith leaders. Consistent with American research, Australian research finds that principals see themselves as playing a leadership role in the evangelizing mission of the church by strengthening Catholic school identity and culture. At the same time, they are mindful of their limits in respect to their faith leadership capabilities. Moreover, the principals worried that the next generation of school leaders may lack the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to engage faith …

The Catholic School Principal And Inclusive Leadership: A Quantitative Study, Jayne M. Quinn

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

The Holy See (2008) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (1995) stated that all students, including those with disabilities, have the right to a quality education and special attention should be given to those who are disenfranchised by having a disability (National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1972). Based on a literature review of characteristics that embrace inclusive Catholic school leadership in elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the following research question was developed and used as the focus for this study: How prepared do Catholic elementary school principals see themselves in carrying out the responsibilities of …

Effective Leadership Strategies: What Novice Catholic Elementary Principals Know, Do, And Want To Learn, Linda Rogers Wiley

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, principal candidates are often ill prepared for the demands of the job. Yearly the Archdiocese hires inexperienced principals in up to 15% of its elementary schools. The principalship is becoming more demanding. At the same time, research shows effective leadership is critical to a school’s success.

This mixed methods study focused on the knowledge and activities of novice principals. The researcher gathered information from second and third year principals in the Archdiocese to determine their knowledge, practice, and desire to learn four effective leadership strategies: instructional leadership, shared decision-making, organization of the learning environment, …

Educational Technology: Leadership And Implementation, Anthony James Galla

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate two important aspects of educational technology: leadership and implementation. The research conducted in this study aimed to assess three aspects of leadership as it relates to educational technology: leadership that supports the technology implementation process, leadership that supports the change associated implementing technology, and leadership that supports a culture that embraces technology. An additional purpose of this study was to evaluate the process, procedures, and actions of implementing educational technology at three Catholic elementary schools in ways that foster a culture that promotes a supportive disposition towards educational technology.

The data from …

Collaborative Strategic Planning: A Mixed Methods Study Of Models And Superintendents’ Perspectives, William Robert Espinosa

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

School district leaders use strategic planning as a tool for leading their complex education systems. They may be mandated to prepare a strategic plan or they may elect to use the strategic planning process to adapt, focus, and align their education system to improve student achievement. The challenge comes in the confusion around what constitutes an effective strategic planning model. Using models from other sectors such as business are often unsuccessful when they are modified to deal with the diversity of stakeholders, multi-discipline systems, and complexity unique to school district systems. The purpose of this study was to research the …

Linking Resource Allocation To Student Achievement: A Study Of Title 1 And Title 1 Stimulus Utilization, Kati Petersen Krumpe

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

With the emphasis on high standards and fiscal accountability, there is a heightened need to inform the research linking student achievement to the allocation of resources. This mixed methods inquiry sought to study how schools utilized Title 1 and Title 1 stimulus funding from 2009-2011 to determine if correlations existed between areas of resource utilization and student achievement by studying both the use of funding and the processes that fifteen elementary and middle Title 1 schools in southern California utilized. The focus was to document resource use of Title 1 and Title 1 stimulus allocations and determine if a correlation …

The Triage Principal: An Autoethnographic Tale Of Leadership In A Catholic Turnaround School, Corena Marasco

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Catholic schools are in need of innovative change. The problem lies in how to construct the elements of change to create viability for a school in the face of rapid declining enrollment. Responding to this type of environment as an educational leader requires qualities and characteristics similar to those of first responders in a medical emergency, a term I coined as the triage principal. This autoethnographic research study was designed to answer three research questions:

1. As a new principal at Michael, the Archangel School (MAS), a Catholic school in danger of closing, what challenges did I experience?

2. As …

The Journey From Welcoming To Belonging: Stories Of A New Principal In A Latino Community, Corena Marasco

Journal of Catholic Education

From Catholic education’s inception in the United States, Catholic schools were established for the immigrant population and the leadership was successful at building enrollment with the high European immigrant populations. At this point in United States history, Catholic education is in need of innovative change, especially in regard to attracting the Latino community, the largest Catholic group, to Catholic schools. In this study, I detailed my own journey as a new, first time, first year, Catholic school principal in a 100% Latino environment, where I was welcomed by a Latino community, eventually leading me to a deep sense of belonging. …

¿Es Su Escuela Nuestra Escuela? Latino Access To Catholic Schools, Father Joseph V. Corpora, Luis R. Fraga

Journal of Catholic Education

In this essay we use the framework of ideas, interests, and institutions to analyze the opportunities and challenges that confront Latino families and Catholic schools as they work to increase Latino enrollment. There are many ideas as to what to do to increase Latino enrollment. It is also apparent that it is in the interests of both Latino families and Catholic schools to have greater Latino enrollment. Despite the challenges of putting these ideas and interests into practice through institutional transformation, there is clear evidence that successful efforts continue to be made to increase Latino enrollment. Nonetheless, this progress seems …