To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: School superintendents – united states – case studies.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'School superintendents – united states – case studies'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 28 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'School superintendents – united states – case studies.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Kent, Betty Atchinson. "The superintendent as instructional leader: A case study of mechanisms of control in an urban school district." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/184618.
Full textAbstract:
This study examined the effects of a superintendent's use of mechanisms of control over principals in an urban school district. The study used the framework of Peterson's (1983) six mechanisms of control as a template to analyze the effects of a superintendent's use of these controls during an eight year period of time in one school district. A review of the literature discussed models of educational organizations, the evolution of the role of the superintendent, change theory, the superintendent as instructional leader and mechanisms of control. The research questions were: (a) Did this superintendent's mechanisms of control correspond with the theoretical framework proposed by Peterson; (b) how did the superintendent's use of controls mechanism impact the implementation of changes in the district; (c) how did the superintendent's use of mechanisms of control crystallize coalitions within the organization; (d) what were the perceived effects of the superintendent's mechanisms of control; and, (e) what changes have remained a part of the formal and informal structure of the organization during the year following the superintendent's departure? Verification of conclusions was reached through the process of triangulation. Based upon the findings of interview data, document analysis and participant observation, conclusions emerged which confirmed the correspondence between Peterson's (1983) mechanisms of control and this superintendent's use, with the superintendent in this study using tighter controls in three specific areas. The use of mechanisms of control provided the structure for successful organizational change to occur. The process used resulted in organizational and personal stress and led to coalitions which suspended one major change effort. The majority of the curriculum and instructional changes which this superintendent instituted have remained in place after his departure. Recommendations are suggested for continued study in the process and effects of the use of mechanisms of control; to conduct further study into the effects of controls on the use of principals' time and student achievement as Peterson has proposed; and the applicability of applying research findings to training of present and future superintendents.
2
Patrick, Diane Porter. "The Response of a Public School District to Charter School Competition: An Examination of Free-Market Effects." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1999. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2434/.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine a school district's responses to charter schools operating within its boundaries. The selected district was the only one in the state with two large academically competitive charter schools for at least two years. Four questions guided the research: In terms of instruction, finance, communication, and leadership, how has the traditional district been impacted due to charter school existence? The exploratory research was timely since charter schools are proliferating as tax-supported public choice schools. While many have speculated about free-market effects of charter school competition on systemic educational reform, the debate has been chiefly along ideological lines; therefore, little empirical research addresses this issue. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used to present a comprehensive case study. Twenty-six school officials and teachers were interviewed; 159 teachers and 1576 parents were surveyed. District, community, and state education department documents were analyzed. Since charter schools have existed in the district, numerous activities have taken place. Instructional initiatives included a high school academy, expanded technology, gifted and talented, tutoring, and dropout prevention. All elementary and middle schools required uniforms. The district's state accountability rating improved from acceptable to recognized. A leadership void was perceived due to students leaving to attend charter schools initially. The district was perceived as making efforts to improve communication with the community. The financial impact of charter schools was neutralized due to the district's student population increase, property wealth, and state charter funding structure. The data supported all of the hypotheses in terms of the impact of charter schools in the district on these activities: free-market effects of charter school competition were not established as the primary reason for internal organizational changes that occurred in the district. Anecdotal evidence suggested that charter schools may have played some role, but primarily they seemed to reinforce trends already occurring in the district.
3
Bertie-Holthe, Michelle, and University of Lethbridge Faculty of Education. "A school shooting : bullying, violence and an institution's response." Thesis, Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2003, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10133/153.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis is an inquiry that examines how those who are marked different in school are also marked "wrong" and marginalized and how that marking often leads to bullying. It examines the significance that those markings have on those who are marked, on those who mark and on those who are witnesses. This is an analysis of bullying and a critique of an institution's response to bullying and its deleterious effects. The writing offers a connection between the particular and the universal. It tells of my personal experience while I was a teacher at a small town high school before, during and immediately after a violent incident that resulted in a death, against a backdrop feminist, critical, poststructural and postmodern theory, and academic dialogue that has helped me come to some understanding of the dominant discourses at play within this story. The writing is not merely the mode of telling the writing is the way to understanding, which must always precede the telling. Finally this thesis is a search for a healing home in which home-ness means a place open to being, rather than a place that defines the "right" way of being.xii, 134 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.
4
Ambrose, Janet Kathryn Buczek. "Case studies of learning disabled high school completers in a Maryland school district." Diss., This resource online, 1992. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-07282008-134652/.
Full text
5
Thomas, Peggy Davis. "A case study of leadership behaviors exhibited by the principal and others in a collaborative school environment." Diss., This resource online, 1994. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05042006-164539/.
Full text
6
West, Martha M. (Martha Myrick). "Mothers' Perceptions and Preschoolers' Experiences: Cultural Perspectives of Early Childhood Education." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1994. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278495/.
Full textAbstract:
In this qualitative investigation, the ways in which four ethnically diverse mothers' perceptions of early childhood education combined with the school experiences of their children were examined. Research tools included audiotaped interviews with Mexican-American, Korean-American, African-American, and Anglo mothers; videotaped school experiences; and a video message with a viewing guide requesting written reaction.
7
Taylor, Rita Neville. "Teachers' perceptions of the effects of their collaborative involvement in the school operating plan : a descriptive case study of three schools /." Diss., This resource online, 1994. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-10042006-143847/.
Full text
8
Kellersohn, Keith B. "Other Identities As Assumed: Job Descriptions Among Classified Employees in a Public School System." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2015. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc804914/.
Full textAbstract:
The aim of this thesis is to investigate the current status of job descriptions at a Public School System, in [City], [State], USA, and to make recommendations for improvement in terms of job description content, format, and the creation and updated processes. This work covers job descriptions among classified employees and does not cover job descriptions for instructional staff (teachers, principals, etc.) or Executive Administrative Staff. The work begins by introducing the reader to the client and the current status of the client's job descriptions. The demographics of the subject population are discussed as well as the research methodologies. Findings are presented in light of research data and analyzed using Social Identity Theory, as well as business leadership principals. Finally deliverables are provided and recommendations are made. The thesis argues that application of Social Identity Theory and business leadership principals will support the ongoing job description processes by engaging employees in the process with supervisors leading the process
9
Casas, Martha. "Viva Emiliano Zapata! Viva Benito Juarez! Helping Mexican and Chicano Middle School Students Develop a Chicano Consciousness via Critical Pedagogy and Latino/Latina Critical Race Theory." University of Arizona, Mexican American Studies and Research Center, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/219198.
Full textAbstract:
This article describes how an anti-racist curriculum constructed on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino Critical Pedagogy
(LatCrit) helped Mexican and Chicano middle school students enrolled in an alternative education program to alter their
attitudes toward the use of English, and to change their forms of self-identification resulting in the development of a Chicano
consciousness. In the beginning of this fourteen-month study, 9.6% of the students identified with the Chicano label.
However, at the end of the study, 77% of the class selected the Chicano label for self-identification. Moreover, this
investigation bridges the theoretical concepts of Critical Pedagogy to everyday practice in a middle school classroom. In short, the tenets of this theoretical framework were applied in the design and the implementation of the curriculum.
10
Velez, Rene. "Perceptions of School Performance Measures: A Study of Principals in the United States and Head Teachers in the United Kingdom Using Q Methodology." UNF Digital Commons, 2006. http://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/275.
Full textAbstract:
Performance measures have been used throughout the business sector as a means to assess productivity, allocate resources, and increase profitability. More recently, they have been utilized to answer increasing calls for accountability in public education. Legislation has been passed in both the United Kingdom and the United States that implements performance measures as a means to measure student achievement and assess school performance. This study, conducted both in the United States and the United Kingdom, examined the perceptions of 15 primary and 15 elementary school leaders with regard to the transnational issue of school performance measures.
Q methodology was used to examine the opinions and perceptions of these leaders for the purpose of providing insight for stakeholders and identifying future areas of research. The data from the participants revealed patterns of opinion within the head teacher group, the principal group, and the participants as a whole. Common opinions included the balanced use of performance measures, the political nature of school performance measures, the appropriate use of standardized test scores, and the consideration of economic and social factors. This study also demonstrated the use of Q methodology in qualitative educational research by both obtaining and analyzing rich and insightful participant data.
11
Branam, Amy C. "Literature and killers : three novels as motives for murder." Virtual Press, 2000. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1221281.
Full textAbstract:
When Mark David Chapman assassinated John Lennon in December of 1980, he explained that he had to kill him in order to promote the reading of J. D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Chapman's belief that he could become Salinger's protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is the genesis for this research. The concept that a person could identify with a novel or character in a novel to such an extent that he or she would commit murder is an extraordinary allegation.In order to further explore this accusation, this research focuses on three novels: Alexandre Dumas, pere's The Count of Monte Cristo, J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, and Stephen King's Rage. Michael Sullivan, Mark David Chapman, John Hinckley, and Scott Pennington read one of these literary works before committing, or attempting to commit, murder.This project traces the cognitive processes of these men in an effort to understand why reading a specific novel lead to a murder. By delving into the minds of these murderers, it can be determined if the novel itself is a motive, an impetus, for the crime, or a scapegoat.Department of English
12
Säll, Anna. "The securitization of climate change in the United States : A case-study of the Biden-Harris administration’s first hundred days in office." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-444493.
Full textAbstract:
The Biden-Harris administration’s discussion of climate change is analyzed during the transformative time of the administration’s first hundred days in office. The theoretical framework of the Copenhagen School of Security Studies (CS) is used to develop the coding frame to perform a qualitative content analysis of empirical material consisting of speeches and other documents of the administration. Several securitization moves have been identified and climate change has been presented as a security issue and an existential threat by the Biden- Harris administration. A wide range of referent objects are identified, which is the people and things presented to be threatened by climate change. The whole world, ecosystems, the American people and future generations are a few of the identified referent objects. International and national solutions are presented, though the solutions are not interpreted as extreme measures as discussed by the CS. Therefore, this study supports the critique of a too narrow definition of securitization by the CS.
13
Eaton, Susan C. "Work-family integration in biotechnology : implications for firms and employees." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/42820.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2000.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 271-288).
This dissertation addresses the problems and synergies of integrating paid work with other meaningful parts of life, and avoiding pernicious choices between work and family. To do so, I examine the very structure of work organization for professional and technical employees in small and medium-sized companies in a new, knowledge-based sector of the US economy. The research questions are: What dynamics at work, related to time, boundaries, and control of schedules and work process, influence satisfaction at work and home, commitment to the work organization, well-being and gender equity? Under what conditions are supportive "work-family" practices by firms, as experienced in a day-to-day context, associated with positive outcomes at home and work? The dissertation builds on relevant aspects of industrial relations, human resources, and work process research, and scholarship concerning families, gender, and work-family boundaries. Work scholarship is incomplete without a lens that incorporates the holistic lives and concerns of the people doing the work, and family scholarship is incomplete without serious consideration of the work structures that shape family schedules, resources, conflicts, and availability for caregiving. This dissertation uses both qualitative data from 80 interviews to get an in-depth picture of respondents' lives, and a broader quantitative analysis based on an original survey with 463 professional scientists and managers. These were gathered from biopharmaceutical employees in Massachusetts during 1996-99. From the interviews I find that flexibility at work, support at home, and control at work are the key factors that contribute to satisfaction outcomes given similar levels of demands. But these are not distributed evenly by gender, company, or level of job. The survey data show that it is not only the presence of workplace policies on work-family, but the employee's day-to-day experience of whether she is free to use the policies, that contributes to positive outcomes. I introduce a concept o "perceived usability" and use multivariate regression analysis to show it is linked to control of time, pace, and place of work, to organizational commitment and "integrated satisfaction." I find that gender is the strongest stress predictor in this sample. I find that biotechnology offers unusual opportunities for gender equity at work, but a combination of traditional managerial attitudes and inequity at home erects barriers to realizing this potential. In conclusion, I argue that we cannot effectively understand organizational life and work design without considering mutually interactive effects of home and family concerns.
by Susan Catherine Eaton.
Ph.D.
14
Aud, Joelle E. "Sports as a moderator of the effect of parent marital status and belongingness on achievement and behavior." Scholarly Commons, 2015. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/866.
Full textAbstract:
Parent marital status is a highly influential variable within the family context, as it can serve as a protective factor in many ways. However, it can also be a risk factor for youth. Despite the large body of literature that delineates the benefits of sports participation and the negative outcomes associated with divorce, researchers have yet to examine the impact of athletic participation on youth who have experienced familial disruptions, such as divorce, separation, and remarriage. Sports participation was chosen as a moderating variable in the present study, as it is believed to serve as a protective factor for those who experience parental divorce. Specifically, the present study aims to answer the following research question: Does sports participation moderate the effects of parent marital status and belongingness on achievement and behavior problems after controlling for sex, socioeconomic status, and maternal education? Many theoretical mechanisms support the hypothesis that positive outcomes are be associated with sporting programs, such as Social Capital Theory, as well as theories associated with 7 motivation and belonging. This study analyzed data collected as part of the NICHDSECCYD comprehensive longitudinal study. Specifically, the effects of parent marital status and belongingness on academic achievement were analyzed in AMOS 22, using a multiple group path model with sports participation as a moderator. Although results did not support sports participation as a moderator, findings supported previous research that connects intact, two-parent marriages with positive outcomes for youth.
15
Johnson, Willie Yvonne. "The effects of race and gender on the superintendency: voices of African American female superintendents." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/2549.
Full text
16
Bennett, Barbara Jo McKinley. "The care ethic in an urban school." 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/17757.
Full textAbstract:
The environment of urban schools can be characterized by high teacher turnover; high student drop out rates; low performance by students on standardized tests; and a shifting demographic in student population. New teachers graduating from teacher education pre-service programs will almost surely teach in urban schools with students from different socio-economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds than themselves. Students in these urban school environments often do not feel a connection to their teachers or their schools. This study shares oral narratives from teachers, students, a principal, and staff members from a high school for recent immigrants in the South Central United States which defies these odds. The interviews focus on how care is experienced by the teachers and students and sheds light on how teachers and students define the practice of care. Further the study looks at how school leadership and policies can impede and enhance the practice of care in the school setting. Among the several major findings, it was found that teachers and students both have a need, even a longing, for connection. The results provide implications for classroom practice, professional development, school leadership & decision-making practices, school culture, technology use, and overall school performance.text
17
Kethley, Caroline Ingle. "Case studies of resource room reading instruction for middle school students with high-incidence disabilities." Thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/1787.
Full text
18
Malmberg, Erik Davin. "Factors affecting success of first-year Hispanic students enrolled in a public law school." 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/17937.
Full textAbstract:
Most of today's college students perceive higher education as the most critical element to their future success, quality of life, financial security, and general well-being. Consequently, more and more students entering colleges and universities choose to major in professional or pre-professional programs such as business, engineering, pre-med or pre-law. The majority of past research has concentrated on student attrition and retention in undergraduate education for the majority population. These studies have not enabled scholars to obtain a deeper understanding of the factors relating to minority populations -- especially those from the Hispanic community. In addition, the majority of these studies have not provided an understanding of students' progress and eventual success in legal education. The purpose of this study was to determine which variables from commonly accepted foundational theories on higher education retention, attrition, and student development are applicable to the first-year experiences of Hispanic students enrolled in a Juris Doctorate Program at an accredited law school at a public institution who are the first in their family to attend. Using both a survey instrument and narrative interviews, the study revealed that first-generation Hispanic students are disadvantaged compared to their peers when it came to understanding important law school financial, cultural, and academic issues. While family support, faculty relationships, law school study/support groups, academic mentoring, and academic advising positively influenced first-year progress; the respondents' cultural identity and race negatively impacted faculty and peer interactions both in and out of the classroom. The lack of need-based financial aid, higher tuition costs associated with legal education, tuition deregulation, increased debt from borrowing, and poor information about financial assistance all negatively affected their success. The negative effects of stress and anxiety permeated numerous first-year experiences including law school orientation, law school classes, final exams, grades, and figuring out how to pay for school. These results should help key stakeholders associated including faculty and administrators to better understand minority student issues and the impact of stereotype threats specific to the legal education context in an effort to reduce first-year attrition rates and improve minority access to the legal profession.text
19
Cortez, Derek Shaun 1963. "A case study of organizational commitment." 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/17955.
Full textAbstract:
This study looks at the concepts of organizational commitment and communication. Multiple methods of ethnography and interviews were used to study teacher commitment to their school. Specifically, I focused on teachers within private elementary and secondary schools. Meyer and Allen’s (1991) conceptualization of organizational commitment was used as the basis for understanding commitment. Questions were asked of participants during the interview that focused on their commitment as it related to their attachment or identification with the organization, the costs associated with leaving the organization, and their sense of duty or moral obligation to the organization. I found that teachers demonstrated a five stage process towards organizational commitment. The first stage for the teacher is the calling to the vocation and/or school. The calling was found to have confirmations, be dynamic, and sustain commitment. The second stage is the enactment of the calling in the form of action. A distinction was made between action that was aligned with the job description and action that was sacrificial and went beyond what was required in the job description. The third stage is the result of this action in the form of conflict. Conflict was seen as an iterative process that involved the elements of person, peers, administration, and policies. It is at the point of conflict that a teacher enters the fourth stage towards commitment. This stage is seen as the decision stage. The decision to remain with or leave the organization was also based on the elements of person, peers, administration, and policies. The final stage along the way to commitment is perseverance. It is in this stage that the individual decides to persevere or commit to the organization. This study also found that negative communication, in the form of complaining can be perceived as lacking commitment to the organization. Distinctions were made between complaining that was aimed at organizational change and complaining that appeared to be for the sake of complaining. Teachers who complained for the sake of complaining were viewed as lacking commitment to the organization. This paper concluded with implications for future research.text
20
Fuhrken, Charles David. "Preservice teachers' perceptions of preparation and practices for teaching reading/language arts: three case studies." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/2865.
Full text
21
Vetter, Amy Maurine. "Creating new spaces: investigating opportunities for identity exploration in a high school English classroom." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/3059.
Full text
22
Vetter, Amy Maurine 1976. "Creating new spaces : investigating opportunities for identity exploration in a high school English classroom." 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/13238.
Full text
23
"Family caregiving among Hispanic groups in the United States: The case of the Cuban-American elderly." Tulane University, 1995.
Find full textAbstract:
This ethno-gerontological field study examined family caregiving in an aged colony of Latino immigrants from Cuba residing in the New Orleans Metro Area. Most of these families have been in this community for over three decades The empirical investigation based on five hypotheses compared caregiving burden among caregivers based on the effect of level of care, acculturation, traditional cultural value orientation, social support, and ethno-demographic aspects of the population. The study also examined caregiving impact, mastery, and satisfaction with the caregiving role; however, caregiving burden was the central variable of the study The sample consisted of 60 Cuban-American families caring for their dependent elderly (aged 65 and over) in a home environment. Caregivers were selected on the basis of assisting with at least three of the ten Activities of Daily Living (ADL's) (1989). Levels of caregiving were measured using the ADL's items. Data were obtained from caregivers regarding their level of acculturation utilizing the Behavioral Acculturation Scale (1978). Cultural value orientation related to person-nature, time, and relational orientations was measured utilizing items from the Intercultural Value Inventory (1990) and the original Value Orientation Scale (1961). Subjective burden along with other caregiving subjective experiences were measured using the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Caregiving Appraisal Scale (1989). Caregiver's social support was measured by various items examining enacted support, satisfaction with that support, and extent of the support network. The perception of emotional support was measured by a scale from the Caregiving Stress and Coping Study (1990). An ethno-demographic instrument was developed specifically for this sample based on Hernandez-Peck's (1980) study of elderly Cubans in Miami. The ethno-demographic instrument was used to measured the social history of caregivers and the elderly. Variables were measured utilizing t-tests and simple and stepwise multiple regression procedures The results indicated that the higher the level of caregiving the greater the subjective burden. Subjective burden was also intensified by emotional and/or personality problems of the elderly relative. Social support was a significant buffering factor on caregiving burden. Perceived social support revealed an even stronger positive effect on caregiving burden than the actual tangible support. Some traditional values also predicted a lesser subjective burden and more satisfaction with the caregiver role. Lower levels of behavioral acculturation (speaking more Spanish, expending more time among Hispanics, and preserving more Cuban-Hispanic family traditions) also revealed a lower subjective caregiving burden. Some demographic variables acted as positive mediators in the family caregiving process Additionally, this study conveyed qualitative information about the field experiences relevant to the theories and the empirical findings of the studyacase@tulane.edu
24
Del, Valle-Gaster Elsa Silvia. "Grammar-based instruction and English as a second language (ESL) learning: a retrospective account of an action research project." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/2858.
Full text
25
Kieff, Judith E. "Preference for school involvement strategies by mothers of at-risk and peer-model kindergarten children." Thesis, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/37517.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore and describe
the attitudes and preferences regarding home/school
involvement strategies of 23 mothers of kindergarten
students who had been identified as at-risk for failure in
school and 18 mothers of kindergarten students who had been
designated as peer models.
Data were collected through semi-structured
interviews. Chi square and t-tests were used at the .05
level to determine if there were significant differences
between the responses of the two groups.
Respondents were asked to express their preferences for
programs and services designed to support families,
potential use of these programs and services, views
concerning the importance of different home/school
involvement strategies, comfort level with different
home/school involvement strategies, preferences for topics
for parent education, and preferences for ways of learning
about helping their children.
A significant difference was found between the two
groups regarding potential use of programs and services,
views concerning the importance of different home/school
involvement strategies, and preferences for ways of learning
about their children. Mothers of at-risk students favored
one-way communication with schools and strategies that were
not social in nature. Mothers of at-risk students showed an
interest in parent education topics which discussed general
development and family maintenance over discipline.
The mean age at the birth of the first child for
mothers of at-risk students was 19.4 years while the mean
age at the birth of the first child of mothers of peer model
students was 24.3 years.Graduation date: 1991
26
Kapavik, Robin Denise Robinson. "Interrupting traditional social studies classrooms: perspectives of U.S. history teachers." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/2899.
Full text
27
Cormas, Peter C. "The effective research-based characteristics of professional development and how they relate to the National Science Foundation's GK-12 Program." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/3762.
Full text
28
Hall, Dorothy Ledbetter. "Balancing accountability and ethics : a case study of an elementary school principle." 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/18440.
Full textAbstract:
In recent years, the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has increasingly had a major impact on daily decisions in schools, especially for principals' performance. Depending on the accountability rating, schools are in jeopardy of closing, and principals and teachers are at risk of being fired (McGhee [and] Nelson, 2005). As a result, it is increasingly difficult to make daily ethical decisions on behalf of students and teachers when much of the focus is on standardized testing and accountability. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the leadership practices used by an elementary principal in her effort to balance accountability and ethics. Models of ethical, educational leadership including Servant Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Moral Leadership, Ethical Leadership, and Democratic, Ethical, Educational Leadership have described the practices implemented by ethical leaders. However, research concerning how an elementary principal is able to balance the pressures of accountability and ethical practices to meet the needs of the students, teachers, and parents is less prevalent. This qualitative single-case study of a principal in one high achieving, low socio-economic status elementary school examined the leadership practices in an accountability context. Semi-structured interviews, field notes of observations at the school, and relevant documents were collected and used as the data for the study (Marshall [and] Rossman, 1999). Findings revealed that a clear vision, positive relationships, honest communication, and school-wide systems lend strong support to teaching and learning. Meaningful curriculum, instruction, and assessment; caring, supportive relationships; and a student-centered school culture, are essential components of intended efforts to balance the pressures of accountability and the needs of the students. Resources, shared decision-making, and a culture of mutual respect and responsibility may lead school leaders to address the pressures of accountability and meeting the needs of the teachers. A welcoming environment, pertinent information in English and Spanish, and opportunities for parents and families to get involved are critical avenues to meet and address the concerns of parents. This information may generate recommendations to educational leaders and serve as suggestions for pre-service and in-service training programs which are designed to prepare future ethical school leaders.text