Educational Leadership Commons^™

The Perceptions Of Principals Regarding The Effectiveness Of Their Preparation Programs In Southeastern United States, Phyllis Michelle Jones

Student Theses and Dissertations

Laser-like attention has been focused on training principals since the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001, which emphasized student achievement. This dissertation examined the perceptions of principals on how their leadership preparation programs helped them develop the skills necessary to be competent and ultimately successful in their jobs. Additionally, this study investigated the claims that universities have done a below average job of adequately preparing principals to successfully lead schools and that universities are no longer suitable to meet the demanding expectations of principals. Counter to these claims is the notion that it is impossible …

The Effect Of Leadership Orientations On Student Achievement, Rhonda Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between and impact of principals' leadership styles on student achievement as determined by school performance scores (SPS). Bolman and Deal's (1984; 2003) four leadership frames model (structural, human, political, and symbolic) were utilized to identify principals' leadership styles. The sample for this study consisted of 15 principals from low socioeconomic status (SES) schools and 17 principals from high SES schools located in north and middle Louisiana.

Schools were chosen by searching the Louisiana School Directory, which is based on grade configuration, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. All schools in selected parishes …

A Study Of Middle School Principal Behaviors And Their Impact On Teacher Retention, Todd Martin

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to investigate the causes behind teacher turnover and the connection between principal behavior, teacher working conditions, and rates of teacher turnover. In particular, this study examined behaviors that teachers in three North Carolina middle schools felt their principals displayed that helped encourage them to continue teaching in their current schools. Teachers in three middle schools, one from each geographical region of the state, completed an online survey. Also, the researcher visited each middle school and interviewed the three principals and their supervisors to collect additional data concerning positive teacher working conditions and reduced rates of turnover. …

A Principal's Perceptions Of Character Education In A Rural Public School, Sandra H. Harrison

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

A majority of rural public schools face difficult and challenging problems: geographical isolation, escalating crime, impoverished families, economic inequities, faculty nonretention, declining enrollments, and lack of success in meeting accreditation benchmarks. In the past decade, support for character education as a valuable pedagogy to complement instruction and academic achievement emerged. The obligation to meet federal and state standards created expectations that school principals have the leadership ability to facilitate strong academic curricula as well as programs fostering students' moral development through character education. Mobilizing resources for character education initiatives becomes the responsibility of school principals or their designees. The purpose …

School Size And Instructional Leadership Of Elementary School Principals, Daniel E. Packard

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Elementary school principals face a balancing act between managerial responsibilities and instructional leadership. With increasing accountability and responsibility, many principals find themselves overwhelmed, lacking the time, resources and support to be instructional leaders. In relation to school size, little has been written regarding the elementary principal and instructional leadership. This paper examines the effects of school size on instructional leadership of principals in ten elementary schools. Three of the case study sites were small schools (350 or fewer students), while the other sites were large schools (500 or more students). Serving as the unit of analysis, each principal was interviewed …

One Principal's Educational Leadership In A Rural And Low-Performing Middle School In Virginia: A Case Study, Clara Lynn Fletcher Sodat

Theses and Dissertations

This case study examined the leadership practices of one middle school principal in a low-performing rural school in Virginia. The experienced principal participant was in his first year of leadership at the school; he had led other low-performing schools to improved achievement that resulted in earning state accreditation as well as meeting federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) student proficiency targets. The focus school had failed to meet AYP for five consecutive years. The qualitative research design for this study included in-depth, semi-structured interviews with teachers, the principal, the assistant principal, and the principal’s supervisor; a total of 18 interviews were …

Headteacher Visibility, Teacher Characteristics, And Headteacher Trustworthiness: Perceptions Of Secondary School Teachers In Mukono District, Uganda, David Mckay Boren

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that students perform better academically in schools with higher levels of trust than in schools with lower levels of trust. School leaders are primarily responsible for building cultures of trust but are often at a loss as to how to do so effectively. With the assumption that as perceptions of school leader trustworthiness improve, teachers will be more likely to place their trust in that school leader, this research seeks to clarify how Ugandan headteachers improve teachers' perceptions of headteacher trustworthiness. In particular, we examined how specific types of headteacher visibility related to teachers' perceptions of headteacher relational …

Perceptions Of State-Funded, School District-Based Principal Preparation Programs In Virginia 2004-2006, Kathryn Kirk

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods case study described and analyzed the 2004-2006 district-based principal preparation programs in Virginia. This dissertation explored goals stated in proposals for funding as well as program director and program completer perceptions of goals, content, processes, and outcomes for the 10 principal preparation programs that stemmed from the Commission to Review, Study, and Reform Educational Leadership. Data collection employed three phases: Phase I focused on the 10 grant proposals; Phase II involved semistructured interview questions centered on perceptions of nine participating program directors; Phase III investigated perceptions of 75 program completers who responded to a web-based survey. Data …

Conditions Affecting The Decision To Seek Or Not Seek A Position As A School Assistant Principal/Principal, Gerald M. Beach

Student Work

Education officials and policymakers across the United States have come to a staggering conclusion – the shortage of school administrators to lead the nation’s schools is real and is reaching crisis proportion (Quinn, 2002). Teacher shortages have been forecasted for many years, but recognition of a shortage of principals specifically, and school administrators in general, is a developing phenomenon (Coulter, Gates, Jugant, Pye, & Stanton, 2007).

An Analysis Of The Connection Between A Principal Development Program And Executive Leadership, David (Jay) Jones

Education Dissertations and Projects

America faces the following problems related to the supply of school principals: shortage, poor understanding of the changed role, and inadequate training. In response to problems, the state of North Carolina has implemented the School Executive Standards to evaluate principals and drive the professional development of them. The purpose of this descriptive study was to report on the perceptions of principals and assistant principals regarding the connection between a district level principal development program and preparation to meet the "North Carolina School Executive Standards". A sequential QUAN-QUAL analysis was applied to data collected through a survey and individual interviews. Measures …

Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Florida School Principals Regarding Federal And State Accountability Measures, John Mccullers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how self-efficacy beliefs, a central construct of social cognitive theory, might be used to inform educational leadership and policy decisions related to school accountability measures. A survey of 112 principals in Florida was used to investigate the degree to which principals believed the goals of federal and state school accountability measures (the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Florida School Grades Plan) were actually attainable, and to what degree they believed their leadership actually helped achieve these goals. A large majority (83.8%) of respondents believed the state goals to be attainable, whereas only a …

Trust Me, I'M The Principal! A New Conceptual Model Of Trust For Educational Leaders, Bryan W. Blair

Theses and Dissertations

The ultimate aim of this work is to contribute to the knowledge of how trust influences and relates to those practices that best support student development and growth as educated and productive citizens, prepared to share in our democratic society-which is the ultimate purpose of our schools (Dewey & Dewey, 1915). Specifically, this thesis investigates the role of trust in relationships between school principals and teachers. A comparative analysis of available literature was conducted using grounded theory methodologies to inform the development of a proposed conceptual model describing the role of trust in organizational processes within the school, specifically between …

The Principalship: A Study Of The Principal's Time On Task From 1960 To The Twenty-First Century, Jacqueline A. Mcpeake

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine legislative and societal developments in the United States in relation to changes in educational administration and determine the existence of bifurcation points of change. The effects of legislative and societal changes on the tasks on which administrators focus their time were evaluated. The administrators were surveyed to determine if changes in time on task have occurred to meet the demands of current legislative priorities and if any demographic relationships existed. The study’s population consisted of 1950 (N=1950) administrators in public elementary, middle and high schools in the Southern Regional Educational Board 16 …

Educational Vision In Florida School Districts: Vision Alignment And Leadership Style, Cindy Sikkenga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to address a gap in the organizational leadership research related to the sharing, or alignment, of leadership vision across organizational levels, with a focus on educational vision alignment in Florida K-12 public school districts. The study also sought to determine to what extent, if any, there were differences among Florida school districts exhibiting different levels of educational vision alignment. The broad question addressed by the current research was this: To what degree are the educational visions of superintendents and principals aligned within Florida K-12 public school districts? The following research questions further guided the …

A Comparison Of Mentored And Non-Mentored Novice Elementary Principals In Respect To Job Satisfaction, Colleen Skinner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if mentoring programs had an impact on job satisfaction for beginning elementary principals in the state of Florida. It also examined if the following factors impacted job satisfaction: (a) length of the mentoring program, (b) frequency of meetings, (c) selection process for the mentor, (d) the position of the mentor, or (e) age and gender of the beginning principal. The population for the study consisted of 108 elementary principals with more than six months and less than fours years of experience in the state of Florida. Twenty-four districts participated in the study, …

An Analysis Of Key Leadership Behaviors Of The Principal In A High -Performing Elementary School Serving Mexican American Children In South Texas, Alda T. Benavides

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study is based on the theoretical framework that defines leadership as an influence process, one that depends on the extent to which people eventually perceive leadership as a quality someone possesses and as a result of that perception, consent to be led (Greenfield, 1998). Leadership is the process of being perceived as a leader (Lord and Maher, 1993). Doing good work at one's school and being seen to do such work is likely to be the most powerful strategy for positively influencing teachers' perceptions of one's leadership. This study expands on the theory that it is what you do …

Lesson Plan Designs, William A. Owings, Michael W. Bedwell, Charles Berry

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] The principal must observe teachers to improve and evaluate effectiveness. Since instructional planning is one of the keys to good instruction, one component of improving teacher effectiveness is the lesson plan. This article provides two formats for lesson planning: a narrative approach and a skeleton approach. Although the ideas in this article may be used whenever written plans are required, not all written plans require elaborate detail.

The Status Of The Elementary School Principalship In Utah, Sherman Hansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The aim of this study is to record the status of the elementary school principalship in the State of Utah during the 1951-1952 school year.

The problem arose from a situation in which the writer, as President of the Utah Elementary School Principal's Association, was continually asked questions pertaining to the status of this group, and because there was a scarcity of current information available upon which to base reliable answers to these requests.

This situation led to the formulation of the study herein presented--a survey of conditions as they existed in Utah during the 1951-1952 school year. It should …