Education Commons^™

A Phenomenology Of The Job-Related Experiences Of Early Career Catholic Elementary School Principals, Sarah K. Kerins, Lucinda Spaulding

Journal of Catholic Education

This qualitative phenomenology investigated the job-related experiences of early career Catholic elementary school principals (N = 13) in the Mideastern region of the United States. Data were collected from an introductory survey, semi-structured interviews, two focus groups, and a participant designed plan for professional development. The findings indicated that Catholic elementary principals in their early career are motivated by a calling to a vocation in Catholic school leadership as well as the ability to develop and implement a vision for their school. Principals reported being challenged by limited resources, balancing the demands of the position, and navigating relationships. Finally, principals …

More Than Just Lip Service: A Phenomenological Study Of Urban Public Charter School Leaders Of Color In Los Angeles, Korey S. Hlaudy

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about how school leaders of color implement social justice leadership praxis within the urban public charter school context, especially amid a global pandemic and heightened racial injustice. This study aimed to better understand the phenomenon of being a social justice leader of color, specifically examining how these leaders implemented practices and policies aimed to minimize the marginalizing conditions within their school communities. The dissertation study was qualitative in nature and utilized a phenomenological framework to provide an in depth understanding of the policies, practices, and mindsets of nine school leaders of color (eight principals and one assistant …

A Qualitative Follow Up Of The Maguire Fellows Program, A. William Place, Kevin Clapano, Robert H. Palestini

Journal of Catholic Education

This qualitative follow up sought the impressions of students after a two year program. The analysis of this data involved grounded theory qualitative methods. The primary means of data collection for the qualitative portion of this study was through digitally-recording and transcribing of participants’ voices in response to individual interview prompts. Seven themes emerged from the first interviews which included 1). Perceptions of leadership, 2). Changing perceptions the Jesuit ideas Magis/cura personalis, 3). Changing perceptions of social justice, 4). Perceptions of Motivation or desire to lead, 5). Catholic identification, 6). Theory to practice, and 7). Suggested changes to the program. …

Straight From The Source: Black College Presidents Tell Their Stories, Steven Purcell

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Students on college and university campuses across the United States are becoming more racially diverse. However, leadership on college campuses is not trending toward more diversity, particularly in higher administrative posts such as the presidency. To better understand this stagnate trend of college president diversity, this critical narrative study examined the lived experiences and insights of six current or former college presidents who identify as Black. The participants in this study are a unique cohort of individuals who have served as presidents/chancellors at institutions where Black students are not the majority ethnic/racial group on campus.

More specifically, this study sought …

Being Scrappy: Charter School Leaders And The Transition To The Principalship At Title I Schools, Kalin Balcomb

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

While the experiences and challenges of principals at Title I schools has been studied, this research builds on those studies with the added dimension of exploring the perspectives of charter school principals who are new to the role and are working in the landscape of Title I schools in Los Angeles. This dissertation examines the history of charter schools and provides a contextual overview of charter schools and charter school accountability measures in the United States and in Los Angeles, with the added political context of the charter school landscape in Los Angeles after the historic Los Angeles teacher union …

Transformative Urban Education Leaders In Los Angeles, Sarah Figueroa

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

The job of an education system-level leader in urban environments is becoming more demanding, and the environment in which they operate more complex. Filling these very critical roles with individuals who possess the right characteristics could mean the difference between success and failure at improving the educational outcomes of students who are more often than not students of color and economically disadvantaged students.

Through seven interviews, this qualitative study focused on understanding the leadership dispositions that contributed to the success of transformative urban education system-level leaders in Los Angeles. The new transformative urban education leadership framework was developed using elements …

Superintendent Turnover In Guam, Alvin Sanga

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Superintendent turnover has been rampant in the public school district in Guam, an unincorporated United States territory; there have been 18 superintendents since the 1981. This qualitative study aimed to identify and analyze potential factors affecting the superintendency in Guam. Social systems theory proposes a number of factors about the dynamics that define the relationship between an individual and a social system to help us understand the behavior of the individual within an organization. To triangulate the data, this study was comprised of individual interviews with Guam superintendents and content analysis of the Guam Public School Audit of 2009 and …

Served Through Service: Undergraduate Students’ Experiences In Community Engaged Learning At A Catholic And Marianist University, Elizabeth M. Fogle, Savio D. Franco, Ph.D., Edel M. Jesse, Brent Kondritz, Lindsay Maxam, Heidi Much-Mcgrew, Cody Mcmillen, Carolyn S. Ridenour, Ph.D., Daniel J. Trunk

Journal of Catholic Education

Students participating in sustained community service at an urban Catholic and Marianist university were volunteer informants in this qualitative exploration of the meaning they make of their service experiences. A PhD student research team (nine members) interviewed fourteen undergraduate students (eleven of whom were seniors). Findings were organized as themes constructed within three domains: background, experience, and meaning. Within “background,” students who had prior work in faith-based service before college deepened their meaning of service. Within “experience,” there were social and cultural dynamics of navigating on and off campus life, including the roles students played as well as the challenge …

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 …

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 …

Love, Charity, & Pope Leo Xiii: A Leadership Paradigm For Catholic Education, Henry J. Davis

Journal of Catholic Education

The treatment of workers is an ongoing social issue affecting society. No organization is immune to questionable employee practices, including Catholic educational institutions. For Catholic leadership to fully embody its intended justice-based role, it must first be aware of the social teachings put forth by the Roman Catholic Church. In this study, the researcher suggests Pope Leo XIII’s social writings as a guiding presence for beginning this formation, starting with the concepts of love and charity within labor. The analysis of Leo’s work shows love and charity as interchangeable virtues that enhance our God-given dignity by acknowledging other people’s inherent …

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 …

Clarifying The Public-Private Line: Legal And Policy Guidance For Catholic-Affiliated Charter Schools, Kari A. Carr, Janet Decker

Journal of Catholic Education

In the past fifty years, the share of students enrolled in U.S. Catholic schools has declined from approximately 12% to 3%. In reaction, many urban Catholic schools have closed and subsequently reopened as public charter schools in order to receive governmental funding and to increase enrollment. As public schools, these Catholic-affiliated charter schools now face a complex set of legal and practical challenges. This article presents empirical research on Catholic-affiliated charter schools, and the legal issues facing them as well as the wider category of religiously-affiliated charter schools. The authors conclude by answering a number of questions that Catholic school …

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, …