Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons^™

Supervisor--Supervisee Relationships: Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder?, Katrina Tamvakologos, Anthony Cavanna, Edwin Selby, John Houtz

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

As part of a larger study, it was possible to compare teachers' perceptions of their supervisor-supervisee relationships between current and previous supervisors. Two samples of teachers completed the LMX-7 survey of leader-follower relationships. Reliability of the LMX-7 survey was high and no differences due to gender, age, or length of time teaching were observed. But, with both samples, previous supervisors were rated significantly more highly. Despite limitations to the study, one interesting explanation possible is that over time and for a variety of reasons, previous supervisors' negatives are forgotten while current supervisors' negatives are fresh, perhaps a case of "absence …

Maximizing Teacher Time: The Collaborative Leadership Role Of The Principal, William L. Sterrett, Michele A. Parker, Kris Mitzner

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Using data from the 2014 North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions (NCTWC) biennial survey researchers identified a sample from over 2,500 principals. The researchers surveyed 68 principals; 24 principals participated in a 19-item survey containing 5 demographic questions, 7 Likert-scale questions, and 7 open-ended questions. The descriptive analyses revealed that the principals in the study had the highest agreement with time constructs related to “reasonable class size” and “protecting teachers from duties that interfere” and lowest levels of agreement with “efforts made to minimize routine paperwork.” The qualitative analyses shared further principal perspective regarding specific strategies with the seven time constructs. …

Building Administrator’S Facilitation Of Teacher Leadership: Moderators Associated With Teachers’ Reported Levels Of Empowerment, Kelly Moran Edd, Karen H. Larwin Phd

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

The current, mixed-methods investigation examines the role of building administrators in the perceived level of empowerment of classroom teachers. As such, this study was designed to contribute to the paucity of current research on teacher empowerment, thus informing school leaders on the importance of practice of empowering teachers and what variables can moderate attempts to empower educators. Level of perceived empowerment was measured using the School Participant Empowerment Scale (SPES), which evaluates six dimensions of teacher empowerment: decision-making, professional growth, status, self-efficacy, autonomy, and impact. Variables, such as gender and tenure of the building administrators and teacher, the presence of …

Trust Formation When Youth And Adults Partner To Lead School Reform: A Case Study Of Supportive Structures And Challenges, Catharine Biddle

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

This study examines the beliefs and practices that support and undermine trust formation in school leadership efforts that invite students into discussions of continuous improvement. Through a case study of a youth-adult partnership initiative, the study finds that trust between youth and adults was supported by having a shared, accessible language for discussing teaching and learning, opportunities for strengths-based dialogue around school practices, and regular opportunities to meet. However, there was also a perception gap between youth and adults around how well group members fulfilled their roles in the actual data collection process, causing conflict and undermining the long-term stability …

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 …

A Case Study Of Turnaround Principal Identification And Selection In One Urban School District, Kondra T. Rattley

Education Dissertations and Projects

Through a case study approach, this qualitative study examined public school district leaders’ perspectives on turnaround principal competencies and actions. Furthermore, this study explored the strategies for identifying and selecting turnaround principals among district leaders in one district and their perceptions of the challenges associated with turnaround principal shortages. Participant responses were compared to existing, research-based turnaround principal competencies and led to direct reflections of the existing competencies. The research findings indicated that participant perspectives of the competencies associated with turnaround principals reflect existing, research-based competencies. The results also indicated that the participants placed more emphasis on certain competencies than …

Transformative Leaders: A Mixed-Methods Study Of The Role Of Transformational Leadership And Its Impact On Teacher Efficacy, Hunter Odus Jolley

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to examine the relationship between the specific transformational leadership behaviors that relate to impacting or enhancing teachers’ self-efficacy. The need to better understand leadership models that provide for more self-effective instructors is integral in building a strong educational system. Previous research had yet to explore specific dynamics of transformational leadership and define whether or not it has any impact on teacher self-efficacy.

The study was conducted utilizing a single school district in the southeastern United States. Three schools within the system representing elementary, middle, and high school levels were studied. Instructors at each school were given …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Traditional And Alternative Principal Preparation Programs, Summer Pannell Ph.D., Bernnell M. Peltier-Glaze Ed.D., Ingrid Haynes Ph.D., Delilah Davis Ph.D., Carrie Skelton Ph.D.

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

This study sought to determine the effectiveness on increasing student achievement of principals trained in a traditional principal preparation program and those trained in an alternate route principal preparation program within the same Mississippi university. Sixty-six Mississippi principals and assistant principals participated in the study. Of the 66 participants, 41 competed a traditional principal preparation program, and 25 completed an alternate route principal preparation program at the same university. The data included the type of principal preparation the participant received, the number of consecutive years served as a principal or assistant principal, and student achievement data for their assigned schools. …

The Relationship Between Parent Participation And Student Success In A Long-Term Weight Loss Immersion Program, Susan Mary Trotter Borgman

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study focused on the relationship between student success in a long-term weight loss immersion treatment program and parent participation in the program; parent participation is defined as engaging in similar healthy behaviors at home while their child is in the program including (1) parents also striving to achieve or maintain a healthy weight; (2) parents self-monitoring of weight loss behaviors/healthy habits; (3) parents reducing/eliminating high fat foods in the home and increasing nonfat/low fat foods in the home; (4) parents improving family support in the home; and (5) parents facilitating healthy family functioning in the home.

The problem addressed …

Impact Of Freshman Academy Experiences On Student Academic Intrinsic Motivation, Shirley C. Sealy

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to explore the transition of a group of ninth-grade students into a large rural upstate South Carolina high school. The primary focus was to ascertain the students' levels of academic intrinsic motivation toward English, math, science, history, and their general orientation toward school learning, and to explore those freshman academy experiences that the students felt most directly impacted these attributes. The freshman academy at this school was implemented in 2006 as a district initiative to strengthen the transition to high school and ultimately increase the graduation rate.

This was a mixed methods case study in which …

Elementary Principals' Perspectives On Opening New Schools In A Large Urban School District, Tammie Taylor Sexton

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine in detail the experiences of four elementary school principals who have gone through the process of opening new year-round schools in the past 5 years in a large urban school district in North Carolina. In particular, this study examined and documented the procedures that the principals used in opening the new schools, as well as in making the schools operational. It examined the principals' perceptions regarding the tasks and procedures involved in opening a new public elementary school and how to go about this process successfully in a rapidly growing school …