Education Commons^™

Top Of The C.L.A.S.S. Connecting Leadership And Student Success, Natasha N. Johnson, Thaddeus Johnson

CJC Publications

This chapter highlights the direct correlation between effective leadership and student achievement. The development – and execution – of a concrete leadership framework is necessary for organizational structure and serves as a standard of excellence that surpasses any potentially harmful influences (such as race, socioeconomic status, family structure, gender, culture, and disability, among others). The establishment of this agenda occurs as individuals continually strive for self-fulfillment. Through this process, one can effectively guide others while working towards their own personal and professional objectives. Ultimately, this distinguishes successful leaders from the rest and represents the goal to which leaders should aspire: …

Leadership Reflections Of The Pandemic: Perceptions From Aspiring Assistant Principals, Terrance Mcneil, Trinetia Respress, Soala Dede, Jenna Lehman

The Journal of the Research Association of Minority Professors

The initial COVID-19 outbreak within the United States necessitated the implementation of rapid safety measures, prompting educational leadership to establish unprecedented protocols. In the spring of 2020, schools throughout Tennessee closed for in-person learning before re-opening with new protocols in the fall. The purpose of this study was to gain insight from Tennessee educators about the challenges they faced because of these educational protocols enacted by leadership. The study employed a phenomenological qualitative design. The study sample was comprised of ten educators enrolled in the Tennessee Department of Education's Aspiring Assistant Principal Network. The data were collected using open-ended interview …

Perceptions Of Curriculum Alignment And Student Achievement In Us History Courses In An Urban Characteristic Georgia School, Jameka Fields

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

This research study examined the perceptions of school leaders on the alignment of curriculum and student achievement. The purpose of this phenomenographic case study, rooted in Leitzel and Vogler’s (1994) definition of curriculum alignment, was to examine school leader and teacher perception of the relationship between curriculum alignment and student achievement as evidenced by document analysis and interviews with individuals who teach and support United States History courses in an urban characteristic Georgia high school. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the school principal, US History teachers, the assistant principal for instruction, and the assistant principal that supports and evaluates US …

A Study Linking Title 1 Strategic Resource Allocation To Student Academic Success In South Carolina Public Schools, Brenton Jerrod Coe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Strategic instructional resourcing has become an important topic in public education, the most lucrative and expensive business in the United States. It is estimated which the United States spends about $612.7 billion annually on public education. This study will analyze and synthesize data from Title I schools in South Carolina, specifically in the area of resource allocation and its relationship to student academic success. Historically, public education has provided all citizens with an equal and equitable opportunity to receive an adequate education. Over time, access to strong public education can impact the lives of students with regard to social mobility. …

An Intrinsic Case Study On The Implementation Of Project-Based Learning For Emergent Bilinguals And The Role Of Teacher Self-Efficacy At A Dual Language Campus On The U.S.-Mexico Border, Guadalupe Vela

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to understand the implementation of PBL at a dual-language campus on the U.S.-Mexico border (Stake, 2000). Project-based learning in a dual language setting can meet the demand for all students, especially emergent bilinguals, to receive equal and equitable learning opportunities that promote access to content knowledge regardless of student language proficiency (Howard et al., 2007; O’Brien et al., 2014). However, the success of implementing an innovation, such as PBL, is facilitated by the teacher’s belief in the tools and ability to enact the approach (Bandura, 1977). Therefore, the study also considered how …

Principals As Instructional Leaders: Building Knowledge Of Applied Learning To Confidently Lead Implementation, Janell Lynn Mcclure

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Principals need to understand best practices and research-based strategies that foster student success and that align to their instructional expectations and professional goals. Some of those practices include applied learning strategies such as integrated learning, student-driven learning, and authentic applications. Unfortunately, little professional learning, specifically for principals, is made available on the topic of instructional leadership, current strategies, or applied learning in general. As a result, school leaders continue to follow a traditional instructional model that includes teacher-directed instruction, student recall of information, and standardized tests as measures of content mastery.

This dissertation was a mixed-methods action research study. The …

Comparing Rural And Non-Rural Principal’S Instructional Leadership In The Age Of Essa, Cailen M. O'Shea Dr., Sarah J. Zuckerman Dr.

The Rural Educator

This qualitative study compares the instructional leadership practices of rural and non-rural principals, seeking to understand contextually based differences in how principals create a focus on teaching and learning. Principals across settings report similarities in instructional leadership tasks; however, they reported significant contextual differences in how they are carried out. These include the use of formal distributed leadership in non-rural schools and informal distributed leadership in rural schools. Additionally, rural principals report adaptive practices that shape policy implementation in ways that support people-centered leadership. We conclude with areas for additional research: the unique demands of the role of principal-superintendent; how …

Mississippi School Accountability, Instructional Leadership, And Data Use; A Formula For Success, Teresa Duke

Dissertations

The following quantitative research study was conducted to determine if differences exist between “A-rated” and “F-rated” districts in Mississippi when it comes to how data are used for preparation of student academic achievement, how that data is used to influence instruction, and what beliefs school leaders have concerning the development of a data-based decision-making culture. Mississippi was chosen based on its unique accountability model.

The survey method was used for this study. Over 100 school leaders from across the state participated from 12 different school districts. Their responses provided some indication of the differences that exist between “A” and “F” …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Students’ Perceptions Of Their Experiences In Undergraduate Online Courses, Glenda Lander Lugo

Theses and Dissertations

The advancement of instructional technology has significantly influenced course delivery in higher education institutions and online learning has increased considerably as an instructional course delivery method. In addition, the changing student demographics and increasing cost of education have spurred the growth of online learning and have demonstrated the inevitability of online learning as an alternative to in-class instruction. Further, the ad-hoc implementation of online learning in higher education due to the COVID-19 pandemic has validated the use of online environments as a viable educational platform, but has also amplified the challenges associated with providing an optimal online education experience for …

How Principals Influence, Facilitate, And Support Instructional Coaching Programs, Nadine Y. Norris

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative, multicase study examined how principals perceived the role of instructional coaches and how they facilitated, influenced, and supported teachers’ professional learning through the instructional coaching program. Including the researcher as a participant, 16 participants from three suburban school districts—including district-level administrators, principals, instructional coaches, and teachers—engaged in semistructured interviews. This study was framed by Desimone’s core conceptual framework for professional development and Spillane’s distributed leadership model. Data analysis revealed principals viewed instructional coaches as their partners in instructional leadership and professional learning facilitators. Principals facilitated and influenced the instructional coaching program by empowering teachers, promoting collaboration, and establishing …

Exploring The Relationship Between Reported Instructional Leadership Behaviors And High-Quality Professional Development Factors, Shelby Lea Daeschner

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

With the reauthorization of the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a focus has been placed on the principal as an instructional leader to improve school culture and student achievement. Professional Development (PD) can improve teacher capacity and student outcomes through long-term, job-embedded, coherent, collaborative, and focused activities. This correlational study explored the relationship between principals’ reported behaviors and rankings of the importance of high-quality PD factors. Through a self-reported survey, elementary school principals across the United States were asked to report the frequency of instructional leader behaviors as measured via the Principal Instructional Management Scale (PIMRS) and rank the …

Perceptions Of Experienced African American Male Principals Of Supports Needed To Improve Their Instructional Leadership Skills, Vance M. Benton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American male principals frequently are placed in low-achieving schools but provided limited support. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of experienced African American principals regarding the support they receive to improve their instructional leadership skills as a way to improve student academic achievement. The social cognitive career theory and the transformative learning theory served as the conceptual framework for this basic qualitative study. The research questions for this study examined principals’ perceptions of how they were being supported, the challenges of getting support, and how their support could be improved. Nine experienced African …

Elementary Principal And Special Education Teacher Perspectives Of Instructional Leadership For Special Education, Jennifer Norton

Education Dissertations

Focus on instructional leadership for school principals continues to be prominent in educational research and reform, as accountability for student achievement increases. The relationship between instructional leadership and special education needs more representation in research and literature. In this study, a review of relevant historical and current research regarding principal instructional leadership is presented with a contemporary conceptual framework of instructional leadership. Using the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS), perceptions of principal engagement in instructional leadership behaviors were examined through the viewpoints of elementary principals and special education teachers in the State of Washington. Data generated by the PIMRS …

Talk Or Walk: School Principals And Shared Instructional Leadership, Sheila Baker, John Decman, Jana M. Willis

School Leadership Review

Beginning in March of 2020, public school educators at all levels were thrown into a situation in which they were required to drastically alter pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning. The move from classroom-based instruction to a virtual platform, whether synchronous or not, was too often done on-the-fly and with mixed results. With the realization and acceptance, albeit grudgingly, that web-based, internet-based, and/or virtual platforms need to be greatly expanded to the population and may become the norm for public education, there clearly exists a need for an expanded definition of instructional leadership.

The purpose of this study is to …

Contemplation For Educators: Theoretical, Ethical, And Practical Dimensions Drawn From The Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Joseph Polizzi, Darcy Ronan

Education Faculty Publications

Catholic colleges and universities educate thousands of teachers and school administrators every year to be at the forefront of teaching and leading. The mission and vision of Catholic colleges and universities is unique in higher education while sending their graduates forth into every sector of the wider world. We explore the contribution of the Catholic intellectual tradition (CIT) for colleges of education at Catholic colleges and universities. In this particular piece, we mine the tradition's emphasis on contemplation to cultivate and inform a practice of reflection for aspiring educators.

Developmental Achievement Versus Standardized Growth: Common Curricula & The Not So Common Student, Robert J. Howman, Corey Livieri

Essays in Education

Challenged is the presumed value of standardization in public education, especially the notion that student achievement is synonymous with performance on summative criteria insensitive to the unique characteristics of every child. This research was initially conducted during the 2010-11 regular academic year. It has since been replicated with similar results.

The overarching question driving the study: “How do educators effectively meet the individual needs of highly diverse students in this era of standardization?” In other words, how do we maintain the human element of teaching, which is so critical for positive child and adolescent development?

Examined are two team-taught 10 …

Leadership Experiences Of Secondary School Principals In Trinidad And Tobago, Asha Ramraj-Sookdeo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Meeting the leadership needs of principals poses a challenge globally. This problem is exaggerated in Trinidad and Tobago, as certification in leadership is not a requirement to become a principal. Additionally, the lack of empirical data about principal leadership in this country poses a major challenge in developing principals. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological qualitative study was to explore principal leadership in secondary schools in this context. The conceptual lens incorporated Neumerski’s angle on instructional leadership theory developed from Hallinger’s model and Theoharis’s social justice leadership theory. The research questions addressed the nature of the principals’ leadership experiences in …

Principals Managing The Expectations Of Instructional Leadership, Shonda Ham Collins-Richey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have shown that principals are second only to teachers in their impact on student learning. The problem studied was principals’ abilities to balance their responsibilities as operational managers while placing primary focus on instructional leadership. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the processes established by school principals to balance the expectation of managing their buildings while being instructional leaders and how their sense of self-efficacy influenced their ability to establish and adhere to those processes and structures. The theories of complexity self-efficacy guided this study. Data were collected using structured and semistructured interviews with six elementary …

Instructional Leadership Of Elementary School Principals Regarding Proficiency In Mathematics, Melvinia Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elementary school principals, as instructional leaders, are critical to improving

mathematics proficiency. The research problem was that elementary school principals are

inconsistently applying instructional leadership to support mathematics teachers' efforts

to improve students' proficiency. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to

understand how elementary school principals apply instructional leadership to support

mathematics teachers in their efforts to improve student proficiency in mathematics. The

conceptual framework was the instructional leadership model of Hallinger and Murphy,

which defines three main dimensions of instructional leadership: (a) the school mission,

(b) the instructional program, and (c) the school climate. The research question …

New Primary School Principals’ Understandings And Practice Of Instructional Leadership In Ethiopia, Dorothy Aanyu Angura

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Instructional leadership (IL) is recognized as an essential role of a school principal, yet in the African school context, there is a paucity of research on understanding new principals’ perceptions and practice of IL. This basic qualitative research explored the IL understandings and practices of new primary school principals and their understandings of teacher support for effective instruction. The study utilized the Practical Ideal Type (PIT) microconceptual framework to gauge what new principals understood and practiced and compared with what is established in literature in the Principal’s Instructional Management Rating Scale model. Using thematic data analysis, interview data of seven …

Superintendent Relations: Impact Of Leadership On Student Learning, Joetta S. Basile

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since the implementation of No Child Left Behind school systems across America have been searching for the answer to increasing student achievement. Researchers have found many methods of increasing achievement through leadership behaviors, however others have found that superintendents have a very small impact on achievement and proficiency. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between superintendent leadership behaviors and student proficiency rates in school districts in rural West Virginia. This quantitative, correlational study specifically sought to discover how accurately school proficiency rates could be predicted from a linear combination of superintendent instructional leadership behaviors. Fifty-five school …

Are Technology Coordinators Teaching Teachers To Teach With Tech? A Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Methods Study, Paula Mcgraw

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to define instructional leadership methods used among New Jersey School Technology Coordinators across the state. The study seeks to examine two parameters of leadership among these technology professionals. First, it seeks to define the instructional role of the educational technology leader in New Jersey public school districts and second, to provide common leadership parameters among these technology professionals serving in the New Jersey public schools. This study will examine the meaning of the leadership role to NJ public school technology administrators and ascertains their experiences of school technology leadership as they implement educational technology …

Teacher Leaders’ Perceptions Of Charter School Principals’ Instructional Leadership Practices, Frednardo Davis, Mary K. Boudreaux

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Teacher leaders are a population to consider when observing instructional leadership or the instructional leadership behaviors of the school principal. While teacher leaders may formally or informally fulfill different roles in the school, depending on the school’s needs and the principal’s vision. A voice rarely illuminated within research, teacher leaders should have the ability to perceive and speak to the instructional leadership behaviors of the school principal. It is through the display of the instructional leadership behaviors and implementation of processes and programs that teacher leaders are able to more accurately perceive and communicate beliefs about their school principals’ practices …

What Does It Take To Be A Fox? New Horizons For Communities Of Practice, Nicole M. Wessman-Enzinger, Joshua T. Hertel, Justin K. Dimmel

Faculty Publications - College of Education

In this theoretical research report we reflect on the challenges of becoming more fox-like in mathematics education work. Using a communities of practice motivating theoretical lens, we compare and discuss the differences in defining, creating, and accessing knowledge between virtual and scholarly communities of practice in mathematics education. We present four claims that virtual communities of practice in mathematics education are inherently foxy work. As part of our claims, we discuss how scholarly communities of practices are inherently hedgehog work. We conclude with a list of recommendations of those within the scholarly communities of practice in mathematics education. These recommendations …

The Chief Executive Officer Of Charter Management Organizations And Their Perspective On Instructional Leadership To Improve Student Achievement, Bryce Alan Geigle

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between academic emphasis and executive leadership from the perspective of a California charter management organization (CMO) chief executive officer (CEO). Executive leaders in California CMOs have a unique perspective that needs investigated. They experience educational leadership differently depending upon their individual backgrounds, educational experiences, and the families they serve. This study seeks to understand the experiences of a specific group of executive leaders and how they define academic emphasis in their CMO. The theoretical framework used to interpret the research findings was instructional leadership. The framework effectively built a lens …

Teacher Agency And The Implementation Of Restorative Justice, Jeffrey Hunt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the implementation of Restorative Justice in an urban central California high school through the lens of administrators, and teacher perceptions of agency, campus climate, and impact of the implementation. The participating school in this study defined their implementation of Restorative Justice as Restorative Practices. The Quality Implementation Framework (Durlak, Meyers, & Wandersman, 2012) guided the development of the literature review and created the framework for the study. This mixed-methods sequential explanatory study examined the relationship between teacher perceptions of agency, school climate, and the implementation of Restorative Practices. Teachers at …

Teacher And Administrator Perceptions Of The Teacher Excellence And Support System (Tess) In Arkansas, Allison Louise Byford

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in Arkansas teachers’ and building-level administrators’ perceptions regarding the purpose of the Arkansas TESS teacher evaluation system, whether TESS authentically assesses teacher effectiveness, how teacher evaluation data are used, and how the TESS process supports learner-centered professional development. Additionally, the relationship of teacher and administrator demographics on their perceptions of TESS was explored. The results of this study highlight the differences in perceptions in all areas questioned along with misalignment in perceptions among teachers. Overall, the study points toward the need for clear communication and the cultivation of relationships among building …

Lessons Learned And Wisdom Earned: A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Mentoring Experiences Of Ontario's Vice-Principals, Terry W. Burwell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Succession planning, leadership development, effective instructional methods, and successful mentorship practices are vital to the growth of today’s school boards. Existing research shows those willing to grasp the reins of leadership have benefitted from a district’s formalized mentoring program. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to determine the mentoring needs of beginning Vice-Principals and determine their views of the most critical areas that need addressing in the mentoring program at the Ottawa Valley District School Board (a pseudonym). This study uses a phenomenological design to explore the experiences of ten administrators who are new to the role of Vice-Principal. …

Effect Of Previous Role And Experience On Principals' Self-Reported Behaviors, Kiffany Pride

Dissertations

Leading schools in the 21st Century is not a straightforward matter. Principals are responsible for the bifurcated role of managing and leading instruction in schools. However, many administrators lack the requisite skills to be instructional leaders. There are no national or state mandates designating a continuum of previous roles and experiences essential to being an effective principal. Despite the immense pressure for principals to cultivate effective learning cultures, there is limited research linking principals’ effectiveness or the lack thereof to the progression of their career path. Therefore, this research study was designed to add to the diminutive body of research …

An Exploration Of Teacher Perception Of The Marzano Causal Teacher Evaluation Model And Its Impact On Professional Practices, Susan Kathryn Graziano

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Teacher evaluation practices have been a common topic of discussion at the federal, state, and local levels in recent years. The literature asserts that teacher evaluation has a dual purpose: (1) to improve teacher instructional practice, and (2) to inform personnel decisions (retention and dismissal) (Donaldson & Papay, 2014; Gabriel, 2015; Garrett & Steinberg, 2015; Marzano & Toth, 2013). While districts are certainly utilizing evaluation instruments for the purpose of making personnel decisions, there is little research to support the claim that teacher growth is occurring as a direct result of teacher evaluation practices. It is essential that educational leaders …