Digital Commons Network^™

Leadership Practices That Influence Teacher Attendance In A Low And High Teacher Absentee School, Allison Taylor Owen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The impact of teacher absenteeism is all encompassing. Teacher absenteeism affects student achievement and behavior as well as the morale of other teachers. It strains an already overburdened school budget and poorly trained substitute teachers are with students for as much as one whole year of the time that students are in school from kindergarten to twelfth grade. The primary purpose of this study was to determine what leadership practices affect teacher attendance at school. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to conduct this study. A school culture survey, which included items addressing three major areas, tasks, processes and …

The Principal's Roles In Creating And Maintaining Working Conditions In Schools In Georgia, Sandra Wallace Nethels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined principal's role in creating and maintaining working conditions in schools in Georgia. The researcher reviewed the literature related to the five major domains of teacher working conditions in schools. The five major domains were time: facilities and resources; teacher empowerment; leadership; and professional development. The study was conducted to understand how the principal created and maintained conditions conducive to support teachers. The design of the study was a case study with multiple sites on the role of leadership in school working conditions. The researcher interviewed three principals, conducted three focus group interviews with teachers from elementary, …

Assurance And Frustration : From Ireland And The Netherlands To Jamestown., Keith A. Donahoe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

English experience gained from colonization attempts in the New World and in Ireland, as well as military expeditions to the European continent and the New World, helped make Jamestown more successful than any previous English colonial venture in the New World up to that time. Jamestown's early leadership successfully applied the collective English experiences from the Netherlands and Ireland to help the Jamestown colony survive. English experiences in Ireland were instrumental in developing the concepts that led to successful English colonization of North America, but English experiences in the Netherlands also played an important role. In the critical first two-and-a-half …

Leadership, Curriculum, Instruction, And Accountability Scores : Evidence From Kentucky Scholastic Audits., Rebecca Curry Todd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1983 the National Commission on Excellence in Education released A Nation at Risk, which triggered an extended era of school reform culminating in today's accountability movement. In Kentucky the school improvement process, in which principals play an integral part, is based on the Standards and Indicators for School Improvement (SISI--with nine standards and 88 indicators overall) and the Scholastic Audit, a measurement tool based thereon. Murphy's (2004) mediated model of instructional leadership recognizes that complex school reform necessitates both direct and indirect skills. The central research question captures the purpose of this study, testing Murphy's model: Based on Scholastic …

The Theory And Practice Of Leader And Leadership Development: A Multi-Level Perspective, Jacob P. Hahn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The understanding of leadership and how it is developed continues to evolve (Day & Harrison, 2007) and while some essential components of effective leadership have been identified, they have not been forged into a comprehensive framework for development (Avolio, 2005). This paper aims to create a theory of leader and leadership development that can aid individuals in understanding who they are as a leader. Of central importance to this paper is the presentation of the Leader and Leadership Identity Development Model, which provides a framework centered on the development of individual leader and leadership identities at personal, interpersonal, and collective …

Integrated Conflict Management Systems As Cure And Cause: How Leaders Address Cultural Change And Conflict In Their Organizations, Brian S. Beck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organizations experience the bottom line impact of internal conflicts daily. Conflicts between employees simply drain organizational resources. The idea of Integrated Conflict Management Systems (ICMS) has been introduced to help minimize the impact of these conflicts. ICMS, through the development of policies and procedures to address conflicts, are actually attempting to change the organization's culture, and when organizations attempt cultural changes, conflicts are likely to occur. The primary component of cultural change is the organizational leader.

The study interviews organizational leaders about the conflicts that occur when organizations change cultures and the methods that leaders use to work through those …

Principal And Teacher Perceptions Of Change Implementation Practices In 2007 And 2008 Small Learning Communities Grant Recipient, Benjamin Bristo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Leading through change is a difficult process. School leaders who hope to create meaningful, long-term change must be cognizant of numerous factors. This study was undertaken with the hope of increasing educational leaders' awareness of how their decisions are viewed by those who follow them. Case studies revealed pertinent data within two schools that have undertaken a significant change initiative. All 2007 and 2008 Small Learning Communities (SLC) grant-recipient schools in Florida were invited to participate in a series of case studies. Participating principals were questioned about their perceptions of how they fulfill their change leadership role related to the …

The Multicolored Patchwork Portraiture Of An Effective Veteran High School Special Education Teacher Amidst The Tempest Of The High Stakes Testing Movement, Vaughn Bicehouse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This single-subject study used the art and science of portraiture to illuminate a veteran special education teacher who is meeting the needs of her students with disabilities. This qualitative study was not done for the purposes of generalization but rather to show how this remarkable and effective special educator acts as an inspirational educational leader and inspires both her students and her fellow teachers.

The movement to hold schools accountable for the educational performance of students with disabilities is fairly new in the United States. Since the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142) in 1975, …

In Pursuit Of Sustained Achievement: A Case Study Of One At-Risk School's Efforts To Change Behaviors, Carol A. Sorvig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sustained achievement remains out of reach for most Title I schools. While there are many programs and examples of schools touting improved performance, there are precious few that are able to maintain that improved performance over time. This case study examined the characteristics of changes made at one Colorado Title I elementary school that did see improved growth for a period of four years. Two administrators, five teachers and two classified staff members were interviewed. Two of the staff members were also parents at the school. This study utilized a qualitative methodology to examine the changes made that lead to …

A Pastoral Theology Of Congregational Care And Leadership: Nurturing Emergence, Carol P. Jeunnette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As with all bodies, congregational bodies experience challenges to their health, well-being, and ability to function as they desire. Problems in faith communities range from severe, intractable conflict to lethargy and decline, with far-ranging effects. The practice of offering pastoral care to individuals experiencing difficulties is rooted deeply in the Judeo-Christian tradition. There is, however, no explicit tradition of pastoral care for corporate congregational bodies experiencing difficulties. This dissertation draws on Bowen Family Systems Theory and its application by Edwin Friedman to congregations and leadership, in conjunction with aspects of process theology, to develop a pastoral theology of congregational care …

A Phenomenological Study Of How Anti-Racist Leadership Training Principles Impact The Actions Of Middle School Principals, John Gregory Kennedy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The national crisis of the academic achievement gap is one of the most impactful phenomena for the nations' public schools. This study used a phenomenological qualitative research design to capture the essence and perceptions of building principals' experiences related to principles of anti-racist leadership training. The researcher interviewed ten principals who had provided numerous questions in an interview format, to gain insight into the attitudes, beliefs, and leadership practices as they relate to the eradication of the achievement gap at their respective sites. The researcher conducted ten, in-depth, interviews with specific questions related to the achievement gap. All of the …

Spirituality And School Leadership: A Grounded Theory Study, Karen Musick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The job of public school principal can feel overwhelming and frustrating. Principals are faced with ensuring their school is meeting the academic achievement needs of students along with the social, emotional, and physical needs of students, particularly if they are serving in high poverty, high needs schools. Most principals question, at least once in their career, whether to stay in the position. While some stay, many more leave the position especially if they are at a high needs school. This study was interested in principals serving, and staying, in difficult or diverse elementary schools. Knowing the emotional toll that the …

Addressing Anger Managment In A Middle School Setting: Initiating A Leadership Drive Anger Management Group, Isaac Burt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of a leadership driven anger management group on angry middle school students. Twenty-five participants from a local middle school were nominated by school faculty to be participants in the study. Twenty individuals participated and eighteen completed the study. The eighteen participants were assessed at pre and post test on measures of anger, anger control and personal relationships. Three research questions were tested: (1) Does a short term leadership focused anger management group reduce youths' overall anger? (2) Does such a group increase angry youths' ability to control anger urges? (3) Does this group reduce youths' …

The Relationship Of 10th-Grade District Progress Monitoring Assessment Scores To Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test Scores In Reading And Mathematics For 2008-2009, Marilyn Underwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research was to investigate the use of a district created formative benchmark assessment in reading to predict student achievement for 10th-grade students on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in one county in north central Florida. The purpose of the study was to provide information to high school principals and teachers to better understand how students were performing and learning and to maximize use of the formative district benchmark assessment in order to modify instruction and positively impact student achievement. This study expanded a prior limited study which correlated district benchmark assessment scores to FCAT scores …

Curriculum Control And Teachers' Perceptions Of Professional Discretion And Satisfaction, Donald May

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to investigate teachers' perceptions of professional discretion and satisfaction related to internal and external factors of curriculum control. Results of the study were intended to provide data to policy makers and school district administrators that could be used in the development and implementation of the curriculum reform process. Middle and high school teachers in a large central Florida school district completed the survey. The survey's six constructs were 1. Influence of Teacher Beliefs 2. Perceptions of Success and Satisfaction 3. Influence of Tests and Curriculum Guides 4. Teacher Control of Pedagogy 5. Leadership 6. …

Conversion Charter School Leaders' Perceptions Of School Change: A Narrative Inquiry, Bridget Dwyer Ramsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three decades of change efforts in American urban public school districts to improve educational opportunities for students have had a lackluster impact on student achievement. For students living in areas of concentrated poverty, achievement gaps and drop out rates remain unacceptably high. These gaps were brought into stark relief in the city of New Orleans following the devastating flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005.

This qualitative study is about school change from the perspective of school leaders who were hired to run the converted Orleans Parish schools. These experienced, former Orleans Parish school administrators took on …