Education Commons^™

A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Of Female Superintendents Within A Southern State: Perceptions Of Leadership And Career Paths Chosen, Stacy Fuentes

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This qualitative study examined perceived leadership styles and the chosen career path of female superintendents within a southern state. While teaching is an occupation chosen primarily by women, the role of superintendent is filled predominantly by men. The superintendent of a school district is responsible for meeting the daily operational needs of the district as well as the instructional needs of the students the district serves. A great deal of research has been done which focused on overcoming obstacles and barriers as women move toward becoming superintendents. The research within this study focused on providing insight into lived experiences and …

A Sense Of Belonging: An Examination Of The Impact Of Leadership Behaviors On Teacher Morale In Rural Middle Schools, Taquilla Barksdale

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to shed light on the importance of addressing low teacher morale and provide methods for improving teacher morale through leadership behaviors. This study was designed to determine the leadership behaviors that will best heighten morale as perceived by middle school teachers. Thirty-nine teachers who teach middle-level grades (Grades 6-8) in rural areas completed a survey. The survey had 18 leadership behaviors. The teachers ranked the leadership behaviors within five leadership responsibilities based on the behavior’s importance to them. The five leadership responsibilities categories were based on the Wallace Foundation’s (2013) research. Instructional leaders, …

To Empathize, Or Not Empathize In Educational Leadership, Mei Jiang, Shulan Lu

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

In this paper, we discuss transformational leadership and propose that empathy is at the heart of transformational leadership. We review the research on empathy and discuss the implication of these insights in educational leadership. We highlight the multifaceted and interconnected nature of empathy and discuss components of empathy that are most relevant to educational leaders. Recognizing one’s constraints on the empathy scale could protect leaders from burnout and poor decision making.

The Better Player In The Chinese Educational Reform, Party Secretary Or School Principal?, Qian Zhao, Yuwei Liang

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

In the “top-down” reform of the teacher personnel system, the principal is the core of policy implementation, who also serves as the secretary of the Party organization. We focus on which type of leadership should principals choose to maximize his impact on teachers' professional ability and work stress. The HLM method was used to conduct a longitudinal study of teachers in Mentougou District of Beijing from 2013 to 2015. 603 teachers from 34 schools participated in this research. It is found that the policy couldn’t affect teachers directly, the principals plays a role as a bridge between them. Taking the …

Transforming Organizational Climate After A Transitional Change In Leadership At The Unitarian Universalist Church Of Catawba Valley, Elizabeth Lee Braun

Education Dissertations and Projects

In the summer of 2016, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Catawba Valley saw the retirement of its long-time minister and the hiring of a quarter-time consulting minister. In the 3-5 years leading up to that, the church had been experiencing a drop in general attendance, a decrease in overall membership, minimally functioning committees, defunct committees, and low morale.

Applying Morgan’s (2006) metaphor of organizations as cultures, which shows “how organization ultimately rests in shared systems of meaning, hence the actions and interpretive schemes that create and re-create that meaning” (p. 138), and which allows organizations “another means of creating and …

Impact Of Transformational Leadership Behaviors On The Implementation Of A Multi-Tiered System Of Support With Emphasis On Cultural Leadership, Donna Johnson Heavner

Education Dissertations and Projects

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) are frameworks used to assess individual needs of students and the supports needed to meet those needs. An MTSS is complex with components which impact core instruction, curriculum, formative assessment, interventions, summative assessment, and problem solving. All of these components are a part of a school’s culture, and the success of this framework is dependent upon the leadership in a school. This study is important because it addresses the complexities of assessing individual student needs and the planning required to meet those needs. The purpose of this research was to study the implementation an MTSS …