Education Commons^™

Principal Trust: Factors That Influence Faculty Trust In The Principal, A. Tyler Howe

Theses and Dissertations

Principals are held accountable for student achievement even though they only have an indirect influence on that achievement. Accountability raises the question about what should be the priority for the principal's attention. The literature supports the existence of a positive correlation between faculty trust in the principal and increased student achievement. Our study considered the appropriateness of representing trust as a two-factor model broken down into components related to how teachers view the skill and the will of the principal. Additionally, our study examined which demographic factors of the school and of the principal affect faculty trust in the principal.This …

Nurturing A Heart For The New Evangelization: A National Study Of Catholic Elementary School Principals In The U.S., David D. Spesia

Journal of Catholic Education

The Catholic Church calls school principals to serve not only as educational leaders and ecclesial ministers, but also as agents of the New Evangelization. Given the Church’s ongoing call for a New Evangelization, it is essential to establish how the principals themselves perceive this missionary mandate; it is also important to explore what elements of the principals’ own faith formation have best equipped them for this unique role and what areas for ongoing growth they themselves identify. This mixed-methods study collected both quantitative and qualitative data through a survey of over 600 Catholic elementary school principals across the U.S.; personal …

Catholic School Principals’ Decision-Making And Problem-Solving Practices During Times Of Change And Uncertainty: A North American Analysis, Walter Polka, Peter Litchka, Rosina Mete, Augustine Ayaga

Journal of Catholic Education

The authors of the article outline a historical review of Catholic education and student enrollment in North America and a recent perspective of Catholic school principals’ decision-making and problem-solving preferences. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with an understanding of events which impacted the evolution of Catholic school boards and their administrators in America and Canada as well as current leadership practices. The authors utilize a survey instrument derived from Wayne Hoy’s decision-making and problem-solving research. Their quantitative findings come from 121 principals of K-12 schools situated across the United States and the province of Ontario. …

An Investigation Of The Attitudes Of Catholic School Principals Towards The Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities, Michael J. Boyle, Claudia M. Hernandez

Journal of Catholic Education

Catholic school principals typically serve as the prime decision-makers in admission and enrollment issues. A key factor in this decision-making can be the principals’ perceptions and attitudes about servicing students with disabilities within a Catholic school context. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of Catholic school principals toward inclusion of students with disabilities in Catholic schools. Overall, a majority of surveyed principals reported a positive attitude toward including students with disabilities. Some significant relationships were found between principal’s pervious experiences with students with disabilities and the principals’ willingness to enroll students with disabilities. …

Creating Inclusive Learning Communities For Ell Students: Transforming School Principals' Perspectives, Kathryn Brooks, Susan R. Adams, Trish Morita-Mullaney

Kathryn Brooks

School-level administrators are often concerned about tertiary supports for English language learners (ELLs), such as translating signs and school documents or offering Spanish classes for their teachers. Although modeling and learning the heritage language(s) of the ESL population can be helpful, its focus on language differences can limit our considerations of broader systemic challenges that impact the success of ELLs in our schools. This article shares the dialogues that school administrators are having about ELL students and discusses the use of social justice and equity focused professional learning communities as a way to transform this discourse to address the broader …

Counselors And Principals: Collaborating To Improve Instructional Equity, Carl A. Lashley, Jaimie Stickl

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

School districts are held accountable for the performance of all students. This increased responsibility has caused principals and their faculties to become increasingly concerned about using performance data to improve achievement, attendance, promotion and graduation rates, dropout rates and at-risk student performance, and other indicators of school quality. An often overlooked resource in the school’s efforts is the school counselor.

School counselors are well-prepared to assist principals with data utilization and making recommendations for individual student, classroom, and school-wide improvement. Collaborative relationships between principals and school counselors can contribute significantly to school improvement efforts and to professional learning and capacity …

How Elementary School Principals In An Ontario School Board Use Resiliency Strategies To Manage Adversity In Their Leadership, Catherine Elizabeth Zeisner

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to gather, examine, and define school leadership ‘adversity experiences’ of elementary school principals in an Ontario school board. This qualitative study examined how principals use resiliency strategies to manage adversity in the course of their school leadership. Lastly, the study examined supports, professional learning, and/or programs specific to the Ontario context that exist for principals experiencing adversity.

The purposeful sample was fifteen elementary school principals and one superintendent of education. They were interviewed one-on-one using semi-structured questions during the winter 2016. Those data were analyzed using a modified form of constant comparative …

Supporting Leadership Preparation In Indonesia, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

Kathryn Moyle reports on an evaluation of a professional learning program for aspiring school principals in Indonesia.

Teachers’ And Administrators' Perceptions Of The Characteristics Of Effective Leadership For K-12 International Schools, Travis S. Smith

All NMU Master's Theses

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions of the characteristics of effective leadership for K-12 international schools. The data produced three themes; these include emotional intelligence, the ability to establish school culture, and administrative mindset. The literature review focused on the survey data points of humor, cultural intelligence, and vision embedded within these themes. The research findings are intended to advance the knowledge of leadership for K-12 international schools.

Supporting Leadership Preparation In Indonesia, Kathryn Moyle

International Developments

Kathryn Moyle reports on an evaluation of a professional learning program for aspiring school principals in Indonesia.

K-12 And The Active Shooter: Principals’ Perceptions Of Armed Personnel In New Jersey District Factor Group Gh Public Schools, Brian P. Kelly

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this study was to explore the predicament school principals face when formulating the best methodology to provide a safe environment for their students and faculty, while simultaneously creating an atmosphere that is conducive to education.

This multiple-case study is a replication of a dissertation published in 2014 which explored a unique phenomenon containing multiple variables within an urban public school district. Conversely, this research study examined suburban public school districts within communities that possessed a median household salary ranging between $86,000 and $105,000, where the socioeconomic status of these schools is identified and delineated by New Jersey …

The Principal's Voice: Supports Critical To A School Principal's Effectiveness, Rita Chaudhuri

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Abstract

Demands on school principals in the 21^st century are highly complex. Ever-increasing pressures include accountability for student achievement; creating systems and structures to close the achievement gap of underrepresented students; implementing Federal, State, and District initiatives; implementing a more complex evaluation system for staff; being responsible for all stakeholders that create the school community; and being an instructional leader that makes learning happen for all students every year. In the State of Washington, a majority of districts have adopted the AWSP Leadership Framework as a standards-based model to evaluate principals and also provide targeted supports.

The purpose of …

The Impact Of Louisiana's Compass Teacher Evaluation System On Principals In One School District: A Case Study, David P. Schexnaydre Jr

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

As teacher evaluation practices become increasingly high-stakes, principal observation has been made an important source of data in the evaluation process. Driven by the federal Race to the Top initiative, implementation of teacher evaluation systems has been rapid and questions remain about the preparedness of principals to successfully implement the new evaluation processes. The researcher conducted a qualitative case study that focuses on the implementation of the Louisiana Department of Education's COMPASS teacher evaluation system and its impacts on principals in one school district. Interviews were conducted with six principals, a focus group was held with the four members of …

The Principal's Role; Distributed Leadership, Kathryn R. Hermann

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The role of the principal role has become very complex with the increased focus on accountability and student achievement. Principals can no longer do their jobs alone. Distributed leadership has been the subject of considerable educational research and discourse in recent years. This study explores how principals employ or do not employ distributed leadership with their staffs. The study found that the school principal plays a key role in supporting the school by communicating a common purpose, that distributed leadership is developed within a school climate built upon collaboration, the principal models leadership using tools and routines, and situational decision …

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. …

Job Attainment And Perceived Role Differences Of Cyberschool Leaders, Jayson W. Richardson, Dennis Beck, Jason Lafrance, Scott Mcleod

Educational Leadership Studies Faculty Publications

As cyberschooling options expand, it is vital that we understand the nuances of these particular learning opportunities. Because little research exists on leaders of K-12 cyberschools, this exploratory case study had two purposes. We first examined how 18 cyberschool leaders in the United States obtained their position. Second, we explored the perceptions of cyberschool leaders regarding the differences between their job and that of a traditional brick-and-mortar school leader. We found that cyberschool leaders tend to be predominantly new, technology savvy administrators who have some background in online learning. Main differences between cyberschool leadership and brick-and-mortar school leadership included interactions …

Supportive Leadership: The Principal's Role In Beginning Teacher Retention, Kelli Leann Epling

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

School districts in West Virginia and across the nation have been experiencing a mass exodus of teachers over the last two decades, creating a widespread shortage of certified educators in the classroom. In the United States approximately a half-million teachers leave their schools every year, and only 16% of those exits can be attributed to retirement. The rest is due to movement between schools and to teachers leaving the profession. While a great deal of research has been completed in order to ascertain why teachers are leaving the profession most focuses on the individual teacher’s perspective – and that perspective …

National School Improvement Tool, Geoff N. Masters

School and system improvement

Research is revealing the powerful impact that school leadership teams can have in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Effective leaders create cultures of high expectations, provide clarity about what teachers are to teach and students are to learn, establish strong professional learning communities and lead ongoing efforts to improve teaching practices. The National School Improvement Tool brings together findings from international research into the practices of highly effective schools and school leaders. The Tool assists schools to review and reflect on their efforts to improve the quality of classroom teaching and learning. It supports school-wide conversations – including …