Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „Educational reform”

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to examine how the leadership behaviors of California school superintendents influence the implementation of educational reform initiatives in the districts they serve.

Methods. The conceptual framework of this study centers on the interrelationship between the role of the superintendent, models of educational leadership, and the context of educational reforms. The constructs will link the elements of the research process and the influence of educational reforms on the behaviors of superintendents. The conceptual framework used Fullan and Quinn’s (2016) coherence framework as a lens to examine the constructs and to determine whether superintendents are applying proven transformational and instructional leadership behaviors.

Methodology. A multicase qualitative study was used to explore how leadership behaviors of 7 superintendents influence educational reform in public school districts. The study was not bound by site or district; it investigated a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within a real-world context (Yin, 2014). Purposeful sampling was used to recruit acting superintendents in the Los Angeles and Orange County regions. The sampling criteria were (a) the superintendents served for a minimum of 3 years, (b) in a public school district, and (c) were referrals from trusted superintendent colleagues. Seven superintendents agreed to participate.

Findings. Examination of the qualitative data from the 7 interviews indicated superintendents’ leadership behaviors have influence in the implementation of educational reforms. To develop whole-system reform, superintendents must build a system for continuous improvement. Answers to 6 interview questions were carefully analyzed to provide an understanding of how superintendent leadership behaviors are influencing whole-system improvement.

Conclusions and Recommendations. The findings of this study were consistent with the coherence framework (Fullan & Quinn, 2016), which specifically identified 4 integrated components (focusing direction, cultivating a collaborative culture, deepening learning, and securing accountability) for sustainable whole-system reform. It was concluded superintendents build coherence for reform by simultaneously implementing the 4 components. The data revealed educational reform requires leaders to think holistically about the framework. While district leadership is key to influencing the outcome of whole-system change, a culture of continuous improvement is achieved with coherency and collaboration at all levels.

Over the past two decades public schools have faced an unrelenting demand for reform. In response to this call for change, researchers have identified two strategies that hold great promise – organizational mindfulness and teacher collaboration. Despite the volume of work that has focused on these areas, little has been done to investigate their overlap. This study discusses development of the Teacher Instructional Practice and Sentiments (TIPS), an 18-item survey to measure teacher practices and beliefs that reflect mindful collaboration for improving instruction. Teacher responses to the TIPS were gathered and analyzed from a representative statewide sample of elementary school teachers in Washington State. Findings examined survey items which were aligned to the five cognitive processes of HRO theory: preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resilience, and deference to expertise. An exploratory factor analysis was complete using Principal Components Analysis with varimax rotation which revealed three factors underlying mindfulness in schools. The first factor, Mindful Focus on Students, includes items such as understanding a student’s home situation, as well as making accommodations for struggling learners. The second factor, Mindful Focus on Relationships, deals with interactions between teachers, students, parents, and the community. Finally, Mindful Focus on Instruction includes “checks for understanding” and brainstorming with colleagues on strategies to get students to standard. As an alternative to forcing the current labels of HRO theory on education, consideration should be given to application of these school-specific categories. They simplify the process of evaluating mindfulness in schools, and simplify the variables requiring investigation. Use of the TIPS survey to understand the extent to which mindfulness and teacher collaboration are evident in schools is recommended.

School turnaround refers to the rapid, significant improvement in the academic achievement of persistently low-achieving schools (Peck & Reitzung, 2013). Over the past decade, school turnaround has become the United States’ response to chronically low-performing and failing schools. The turnaround model has emerged as an effective strategy with potential to lead to expedient results. The research on turnaround is limited, however; in fact, most research is concentrated on numerous case studies and is often focused on descriptions of the models used in school turnaround. The overarching question is what district level leadership, school level leadership, and classroom teacher practices emerge as part of the school turnaround reform process?

Major findings of the study indicate that 1) across all turnaround survey measures, the Data Teams Process, turnaround team support, and use of data as the most helpful elements of turnaround reform; 2) while turnaround team support was considered helpful at all levels within the district, it was also considered an obstacle by turnaround school leaders and turnaround teachers; 3) while the Data Teams Process was considered helpful at all levels within the district, it was also considered an obstacle by turnaround school leaders and turnaround teachers; 4) based on turnaround school leader perceptions, there are differences between turnaround schools and emerging turnaround schools in the area of community relations; (5) based on the turnaround teacher perceptions, there are differences between turnaround schools and emerging turnaround schools in the areas of mindset, climate and culture, effective teachers, and instructional support; and (6) perceptions of collective efficacy differ based on school performance scores which, correspond to turnaround status.

Academic and behavioral success in middle school is a predictor of academic and behavioral success in high school. How best to provide a developmentally responsive education to students at the middle level is a challenge that American educators and policymakers need to address (Jackson et al., 2000). This case study provides an understanding of the unique organizational structures and school culture that contributed to a diverse school’s fostering and sustaining the goals of a middle school reform initiative designed to contribute to students’ academic and behavioral success.

Once a low-performing school with high disciplinary referrals, Crossroads Middle School is now considered exemplary because of high ratings on district climate surveys and success in increasing student achievement for all student groups since implementation of the reform strategy. Notably, during the reform implementation, three principals led the school. Given this leadership turnover, the school’s success cannot be attributed to one charismatic leader, but rather the organizational culture fostered by the instructional leadership team. Data include interviews with 19 past and present members of the instructional leadership team, meeting observations, and reviews of school documents and artifacts. This exemplary case study reveals the shared norms, values, and beliefs developed over time by the leadership team members as they designed and implemented the structures, policies, and practices needed to foster the goals of the reform.

Crossroads had and continues to have a student population that mirrors the demographics of its large diverse district. This diversity contributes to the relevancy of the findings for other school leaders in districts that have diverse student populations and who seek to improve middle level education. The results of this study may inform district leaders and school-based staff seeking to adopt a middle school model uniquely suited to developing middle school students, and seeking to develop a staff with skill sets unique to teaching students at the middle school level.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors influencing middle school grading reform. The study involved all stakeholders in one middle school community. Participants were surveyed to determine which standards-based grading practices were most welcomed among middle school students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Additionally, students’ perceived motivation levels when evaluated using standards-based grading practices were quantified and the necessary support needs of middle school teachers were identified as they attempted school-wide grading reform. Many are calling for school leaders to evaluate unreliable traditional grading methods and reform grading to a standards-based approach (Guskey, Swan, & Jung, 2011; Wormeli, 2013). For this reason, the survey items used in the study were based on the positive and negative outcomes of standards-based grading found in current research. The sample groups for the study included 137 middle school students, 148 parents, 25 teachers, and three administrators. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results of Likert-style survey items and open-ended questions. Findings indicated the most accepted grading changes among all stakeholders included allowing students multiple attempts to show the learning of a concept and providing for awareness and understanding of learning objectives. The teacher survey results revealed necessary support needs when attempting grading reform include the following: making grading decisions together as a faculty, communicating grading changes with parents, and allowing for time to implement grading changes correctly.

In 1983, the A Nation at Risk report stated that our educational institutions in the United States and especially in urban areas were not meeting the educational needs of our students. Since A Nation at Risk, elected school boards in urban areas were under fire from the media, parents, other civic and community leaders, and voters due to fiscal irresponsibility and poor student achievement. In selected urban cities across the nation, elected school boards were replaced in favor of mayoral control (e.g., Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington DC) and appointed school boards (Wong et al., 2007). In 1999, the Detroit Public Schools (DPS) was taken over by the state of Michigan in an effort to reform the district. In 1998 prior to the state takeover, DPS had 261 schools, 167,000 students enrolled in the district, and a $93 million budget surplus. In 2014 after several years of state control, DPS had 97 schools (−62%), 47,000 students enrolled (−71%) in the district, and a $232 million budget deficit (−349%). During this same time period, DPS had eight different district leaders under three different school governance models. This qualitative historical case study developed an understanding of the overall impact of school governance reform on the institutional progress in DPS from 1999–2014. Institutional Progress examines the overall functioning of a school district in the areas of: leadership, educational programs, finances, personnel, community support and political support. This study also described the external and internal barriers preventing DPS from making institutional progress. This qualitative study utilized four data sources: interviews of current and former Detroit Public School personnel (i.e., school board members, central and building administrators, teachers, parents and community activists), Detroit Board of Education meeting minutes reports, daily newspaper coverage of DPS from the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News, and city of Detroit archives on the annual State of the City Address given by Detroit mayors to determine whether or not institutional progress was achieved in DPS from 1999–2014. The findings of this study were the following: 1.) there was a lack of institutional progress in Detroit Public Schools; 2.) school governance reforms in DPS did not have a positive impact; and 3.) internal and external barriers prevented DPS from making institutional progress.

This research paper presents existing literature on intrinsic motivation and applies it to teachers in an environment of high-stakes education reform efforts. It seeks to acknowledge that there has been an increase in level of external control placed on teachers in New York State, and to discuss potential impacts of these efforts on teachers’ intrinsic motivation according to Self-Determination Theory (SDT). This paper presents survey research designed to examine teachers’ perception of the impact education reform efforts have had on their role in various work tasks, related to the extent to which they perceive their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are met at work. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships between participant responses and the theoretical variables at hand. T-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlations were also examined to obtain a greater understanding of the variable relationships. The results of this research indicate that teachers have felt a negative impact on some of their teaching-related tasks; the SDT framework of autonomy, relatedness, and competence needs maintained integrity in this sample; autonomy-support was significantly related to perceived impact of high stakes education reform efforts. The implications of low intrinsic motivation among teachers on students and the educational environment, and implications for future reform efforts are discussed.