Download or read book Perceptions of Small Rural District Principals on Their Superintendent s Effectiveness in Principal Leadership Development written by Timothy Lynn Bartram and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Empirical research has shown a relationship between the school principal's leadership ability as an instructional leader and student learning outcomes. It would be reasonable to assume that the school principal benefits greatly from his or her superintendent sharing his or her knowledge and experience. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of a sample of rural West Texas principals and the frequency and extent to which their superintendent provides them effective professional development and advice on a professional level or setting. Furthermore, the study focused on passive-avoidant, transactional, and transformational leadership styles. This was a mixed-method study utilizing 50 quantitative questions and 7 open-ended qualitative questions. Findings indicate that the principals'' perceptions of their superintendent's leadership style were on average, positive. Research supports that the behavior and actions superintendents used were both transformational and transactional forms of leadership and more often than not encouraged growth and positive outcomes among principals. The principals' perceptions regarding the impact of their superintendent's leadership style(s) on their own professional growth was positive, with results indicating that many superintendents would support and encourage professional and personal growth even where resources were limited.

Download or read book Superintendent principal Perception of Effective Leadership Behaviors practices in Small Rural School Districts in Wisconsin written by John C. Lehnen and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People who serve in the dual role of superintendent and principal are very unique, typically serving as the lone leader in the smallest of rural school districts. Research on rural school district leadership tends to be lacking when compared to suburban or urban school leadership. The literature review highlights the demands and challenges of rural school district leadership in history to the most recent studies done on superintendents, principals and superintendent/principals. Although superintendent/principals may be small in number, they are no less important than large district superintendents. The purpose of this study was to provide an analysis of the perceptions of superintendent/principals on how they fulfill their dual role responsibilities with effective leadership behaviors/practices as one administrator in a small rural school district in the state of Wisconsin. The theoretical framework details the behaviors/practices that fulfill the areas of responsibility of superintendents and principals from two separate meta-analysis research studies. Additionally, the framework included support for the meta-analysis research on superintendent leadership responsibilities and practices from another major study done in a rural context. The researcher employed descriptive quantitative research methods using survey research aligned to the theoretical framework. Forty-nine superintendent/principals out of 53 possible participants in the state of Wisconsin answered a 115 item survey on behaviors/practices that reflected their actual behaviors/practices in their school district. Overall, the findings show, despite the numerous challenges of small rural district leadership, superintendent/principals perceived themselves positively, more completely meeting their superintendent and principal responsibilities with effective behaviors/practices than not. The researcher also analyzed the data for significant differences in superintendent/principal’s scores on behaviors/practices to compare/contrast with the research presented in the review of literature or theoretical framework. The most interesting conclusion was the importance of “Defined Autonomy” and what it means to a superintendent/principal for overall success in leading a small rural school district. This research study provided several implications for the future. Despite the challenges of the dual role, superintendent/principals must stay focused on effective behaviors/practices that meet their responsibilities, connect to their communities and parents, and develop trusting relationships with all constituents.

Download or read book Superintendent Perceptions of Effective School Leadership and Its Impact on School Culture at the High School Level written by Brandon S. Pardoe and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This qualitative study investigated superintendent perceptions of effective principal leadership and its impact on school culture in high schools. The three research questions examined superintendents' perceptions on the components of a healthy high school culture, and the qualities that effective principals employ to directly impact the culture of their high schools in their school districts. Thirty-nine superintendents from across central and northeastern Pennsylvania participated in this study and completed the researcher developed online survey. Of those, five participated in a telephone interview with the researcher. The findings from the research revealed that superintendents perceive that effective principal leadership does influence the culture of high schools. The results from the study implicated identifiable qualities and strategies of principals that superintendents expect to enhance the school culture of high schools located in their school districts. These qualities and strategies include principal risk taking, continuous professional development, and the ability to communicate a clear vision and mission of the school. These findings may provide valuable information to superintendents and other school administrators to help inform decisions on how to effectively improve the culture of their high schools and improve student learning in their own school systems.

Download or read book The Impact of Pennsylvania Department of Education s Principal Effectiveness Framework for Leadership written by Daphne Kirkpatrick and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The recent focus on principal effectiveness, and in particular the development of the Framework for Leadership instrument to measure a principals effectiveness, provides cause to investigate the impact of this implementation on district superintendents in Pennsylvania. Currently, a modest amount of research exists regarding superintendent roles and responsibilities around effective district leadership; however, little is available that focuses the superintendents responsibility specific to the evaluation and support of the principal to become a better instructional leader. This qualitative research study explored the perceptions of 44 superintendents working in school districts across three Intermediate Units in the central region of Pennsylvania. The two primary means of collecting data included surveys and interviews. Surveys were completed by 44 superintendents, and from the survey data, 19 superintendents were selected to participate in a brief interview.The findings show that the Framework for Leadership provides superintendents with a tool that can be used to guide conversations about effectiveness, provide feedback on particular areas of need, and promote the growth of principals where necessary; however, findings also reveal that superintendent roles and responsibilities are often so overwhelming that instructional leadership is often not a thought that is first and foremost in their thinking. There were three primary implications revealed in this study. First, this study contributes to recent research in support of principal supervisor positions, particularly as these positions related to school districts located in rural Pennsylvania. This is a significant area of need when considering how superintendents in this region of the state are responsible for covering a multitude of responsibilities as leaders in their positions. Second, this study confirms the importance of superintendents involvement in professional learning. This professional learning is especially important when considering implementations of new supervisory and evaluation tools. Finally, this study contributes to the literature in support of the importance of superintendents as essential for supporting principals to become more effective school leaders.

Download or read book Superintendents and Principals Perceptions of Leadership Effectiveness written by John R. Burns and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Study of Superintendents and Teachers Perceptions of the Behavioral Characteristics of Principals of Effective and Ineffective Elementary Schools written by William D. Stavisky and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Effective Leadership written by Pamela Murphy Helms and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A small public school system in the piedmont of North Carolina was the setting for this study. Individual school data, as well as aggregated data from studied schools were analyzed in order to form overall conclusions of perceptions of leadership within the district. Schools were grouped according to the age of the student (elementary K-5, secondary 6-12) in an effort to provide the opportunity for further data analyses. -- The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the principals' self-reported leadership behaviors and the teachers' perceptions of the principals' leadership behaviors using Kouzes and Posner's Leadership Practices Inventory based on the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. The researcher disaggregated data to determine the area(s) in which principals perceive themselves strong or weak, and compared those perceptions to the views teachers hold. The researcher also disaggregated data to determine the relationship of perceptions of leadership at elementary and secondary levels. There was also a focus on leadership perceptions based on gender and teacher experience level to determine if either of those affect teachers' perceptions of principal leadership. -- Through collecting questionnaire research and surveys of principals and teachers, these quantitative data were analyzed to determine if there was a gap between teacher perception of leadership behaviors and leaders' self-perceived behaviors.

Download or read book Superintendent and Principal Perceptions of Superintendent Instructional Leadership Practices in Improving School Districts written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to investigate the instructional leadership practices of a statewide sample of Arizona school superintendents. Superintendents' practices in 12 areas were analyzed in relation to the degree of district academic improvement over a three-year period, the relative size of the district, and the gender of the superintendent. Differences in principal-superintendent perceptions were also analyzed to determine the extent of these differences, and their correspondence to the level of academic improvement achieved by districts. Among superintendents that had served in the current district for at least three years, there were significant differences in their reported involvement in 2 of 12 areas. Superintendents in higher-performing districts reported being more involved in planning for instruction and developing principals as instructional leaders. While male and female superintendents reported similar instructional leadership practices, female superintendents reported being more involved in reviewing research and developing instructional policies. Male superintendents reported being more involved in developing principals as instructional leaders. Superintendents in districts of different sizes responded similarly to the survey. The one exception was in the area of supervising instruction, in which superintendents in medium-sized districts reported being less involved. There were significant differences in the views of superintendents' instructional leadership held by principals and superintendents. On the whole, principals perceived superintendents as being less involved in instructional leadership than did superintendents themselves. There were significant differences between the responses of the subjects of this study and Watts' 1992 study. Superintendents in the present study reported being significantly more involved in seven instructional leadership tasks than their 1992 counterparts. The findings from this study may be of use to superintendents as they consider the many responsibilities they face in providing leadership for their districts. These findings may also be of interest to researchers who are concerned with better understanding the instructional leadership role of the school superintendent.

Download or read book Rural High School Principals written by Aaron Shuman and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Educational leadership has been the focus of many studies; however, leadership does not occur in a vacuum. Understanding the context in which it occurs will in turn help to explain the phenomenon itself. Rural communities in the United States have many differences when compared to urban and suburban areas. Twenty-eight percent of schools in the United States are rural, and within those rural districts seven million students attend schools (Sherwood, 2001). Even with the large number of rural schools, there are significant deficiencies in rural research, including available raw data (Sherwood & Arnold, 2001, 2004). Moreover, when research is done, the rural context is almost always seen as a limitation (Howley & Howley, 1999). Many times research that is conducted in urban and suburban settings is generalized to the rural setting. Ethical educational leadership is drawing increased attention in research. The bulk of ethical decision-making research has focused on administrators in urban and suburban settings. The rural context is silent when one looks to ethical leadership work. This study explores four rural high school principals' perceptions of how the rural context influences their ethical leadership, career aspirations and advancement opportunities. This study also explores the principals' perceptions about their personal history and their gender to determine whether either has been a hindrance or a help to their leadership in the rural context. A case study methodology was utilized while conducting this study. Over a twelve month period; 18 site visits were conducted at four rural high schools in central Pennsylvania. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted along with eight days of shadowing to explore the respondents' perceptions on leading in the rural context. The findings indicate that the respondents of this study did perceive differences in the rural context as compared to urban and suburban areas. Those differences were perceived by the respondents to have an impact on their work as educational leaders. This study suggests that the principals' personal histories impact their leadership within the rural context. All of the respondents lead in districts where they once attended school. This phenomenon strengthened the impact of social reproduction as the principals struggled to maintain a way of life that they valued, while competing with the ideals of the educational institution. The principals maintained programs with a focus on local interests such as logging, shop programs, fish farming and agriculture education. They did this with limited resources and at the expense of offering other programs. Students entering these programs often ended their formal education with high school. They entered the local economy and reproduced their parents' class position in the wider society. The principals' ties to their communities impacted their expectations for students in their schools. This study suggests that the rural context impacts opportunities for advancement. While opportunities for advancement were perceived to be present, they often required principals to move their families due to geographic distance. None of the respondents were willing to relocate to take advantage of opportunities. Gender barriers were rampant within the rural context. The two female principals had experienced gender discrimination. The two male candidates acknowledged gender barriers in their districts. All the respondents affirmed that the stereotype for a high school principal in their respective districts was a male. The principals used multiple paradigms when solving difficult ethical decisions, and their personal history influenced the paradigms they used most frequently. The respondents all used the ethic of care and critique more than the ethics of justice and the profession. Critical life incidents shared by the principals were from a caring or critical perspective and tied to the paradigms they used most frequently. Competing values about the educational mission of the school, the purpose of school and social mobility of students were found to impact leadership.

Download or read book Rural School Superintendents Perceptions of Ineffective Leadership written by Matthew J. DiRisio and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Effective Principals Perceptions of Superintendents Instructional Leadership Beliefs Knowledge and Practices written by Rona Samone Simmons and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study uses a qualitative methodology to examine effective principal’s perceptions of the instructional leadership beliefs, knowledge, and practices of superintendents and how they impact student achievement and influence principal’s instructional leadership. The study was set in a large, urban school district. Six principals who met the selection criteria as highly effective were chosen as study participants. As the instructional leaders of their schools and subordinates to the superintendent, principals are uniquely positioned to provide valuable insight on their perceptions of superintendents as instructional leaders. The study answered the following research questions: How do effective principals in large, urban school districts in Texas, (1) describe instructional leadership beliefs, knowledge, and practices of superintendents? (2) perceive the impact of their superintendent’s instructional leadership beliefs, knowledge, and practices on student achievement? (3) describe how superintendent’s beliefs, knowledge, and practices as an instructional leader influence their own beliefs, knowledge, and practices as it relates to instructional leadership? (4) make sense of the instructional leadership beliefs, knowledge, and practices of their superintendent? Findings from this study may be used to provide greater clarity to superintendents and school boards members, regarding the role of the superintendent as an instructional leader and the specific beliefs, knowledge, and practices positively impacting student achievement and influencing principal’s instructional leadership.

Download or read book District Leadership That Works written by Robert J. Marzano and published by Solution Tree Press. This book was released on 2009-11-01 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bridge the great divide between distanced administrative duties and daily classroom impact. This book introduces a top-down power mechanism called defined autonomy, a concept that focuses on district-defined, nonnegotiable, common goals and a system of accountability supported by assessment tools. Defined autonomy creates an effective balance of centralized direction and individualized empowerment that allows building-level staff the stylistic freedom to respond quickly and effectively to student failure.

Download or read book Resources in Education written by and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Perceptions of Principals Learning to Lead Professional Learning Communities in a Fast Growth District written by Kellie C. Rapp and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The role of the principal has become increasingly complex and challenging. Recent emphasis has been placed on the role of principals as leaders who can build a culture of learning in schools to close the student achievement gap. Outside factors such as fast-growth in Texas have caused schools to change and grow quickly, which increases the learning demands placed on principals as they seek to develop the knowledge and skills needed for effective leadership. Developing and sustaining a professional learning community is a powerful strategy that has been found to improve teaching and learning, however developing professional learning communities requires skilled leadership. Limited research exists regarding how principals learn to implement and sustain professional learning communities within fast-growth districts, therefore, with this phenomenological qualitative research, I explored the lived experiences of seven principals within one fast-growth district in Texas to explore how they learned to develop and sustain a professional learning community.

Download or read book The Money Myth written by W. Norton Grubb and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2009-01-15 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can money buy high-quality education? Studies find only a weak relationship between public school funding and educational outcomes. In The Money Myth, W. Norton Grubb proposes a powerful paradigm shift in the way we think about why some schools thrive and others fail. The greatest inequalities in America's schools lie in factors other than fiscal support. Fundamental differences in resources other than money—for example, in leadership, instruction, and tracking policies—explain the deepening divide in the success of our nation's schoolchildren. The Money Myth establishes several principles for a bold new approach to education reform. Drawing on a national longitudinal dataset collected over twelve years, Grubb makes a crucial distinction between "simple" resources and those "compound," "complex," and "abstract" resources that cannot be readily bought. Money can buy simple resources—such as higher teacher salaries and smaller class sizes—but these resources are actually some of the weakest predictors of educational outcomes. On the other hand, complex resources pertaining to school practices are astonishingly strong predictors of success. Grubb finds that tracking policies have the most profound and consistent impact on student outcomes over time. Schools often relegate low-performing students—particularly minorities—to vocational, remedial, and special education tracks. So even in well-funded schools, resources may never reach the students who need them most. Grubb also finds that innovation in the classroom has a critical impact on student success. Here, too, America's schools are stratified. Teachers in underperforming schools tend to devote significant amounts of time to administration and discipline, while instructors in highly ranked schools dedicate the bulk of their time to "engaged learning," using varied pedagogical approaches. Effective schools distribute leadership among many instructors and administrators, and they foster a sense of both trust and accountability. These schools have a clear mission and coherent agenda for reaching goals. Underperforming schools, by contrast, implement a variety of fragmented reforms and practices without developing a unified plan. This phenomenon is perhaps most powerfully visible in the negative repercussions of No Child Left Behind. In a frantic attempt to meet federal standards and raise test scores quickly, more and more schools are turning to scripted "off the shelf" curricula. These practices discourage student engagement, suppress teacher creativity, and hold little promise of improving learning beyond the most basic skills. Grubb shows that infusions of money alone won't eradicate inequality in America's schools. We need to address the vast differences in the way school communities operate. By looking beyond school finance, The Money Myth gets to the core reasons why education in America is so unequal and provides clear recommendations for addressing this chronic national problem.

Download or read book Perceptions of Principal Leadership and Its Influence on Student Achievement in Rural Middle Schools written by Tekeysha L. McCown and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: School districts across the country are working to close achievement gaps and improve student outcomes. The primary focus of this study was to explore perceptions of principal leadership and its influence on student achievement. A vast majority of research addressing this content targets urban school districts. This research was intended to contribute to the literature focused on school leadership in rural school districts. The findings of this study provided insight on which strategies and/or practices utilized by middle school principals were considered to have the greatest impact on student outcomes.

Download or read book Principals Perceptions of Professional Development written by Lisa Lee Geren and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study is designed to investigate the perceptions of elementary school principals in the state of Arkansas regarding what supports they need to be effective instructional leaders. Phase I of this mixed method study uses an online survey of 112 elementary school principals to better understand their descriptions of an effective instructional leader and the professional development supports they need. Phase II consists of personal interviews of 12 elementary school principals. The research revealed four overarching themes: Personal Attributes, Values Relationships, Leadership Skill Sets, and Meaningful Professional Development. Principals described effective leaders as visionaries, hospitable, empowering others, visible, good listeners, collaborators, ethical, and ones who improve instruction, manage people, data, and foster school improvement. The research data showed that adult learners learn through problem solving, mentoring, and in one-on-one coaching situations. They expressed a need for professional development that was applicable, used real-life situations, and was designed to improve their understanding of new concepts and ideas. Specifically, principals requested professional development on topics including progress monitoring, intervention strategies, improving achievement among at-risk students, time management, teacher evaluation systems, and new curricula. Principals requested more support from human resources, specifically, the hiring of additional assistant principals who could assist with managerial tasks related to discipline, evaluations for classified staff, bus duty, and special education compliance issues, thus allowing more time for principals to embrace their roles as instructional leaders and to internalize the impact of their efforts on student achievement. Participating principals suggested district administrators arrange more frequent opportunities for principals to visit other schools and to meet with principals in their districts to gain a unified understanding of new information. They suggested that district administrators provide professional development in more comfortable locations and in small group settings that incorporate time to evaluate the impact of different strategies on students' academic performance. Finally, they desired professional development facilitated by high profile keynote speakers who are deemed as experts in their fields, as well as professional development that focuses on administrators' skills sets, progress monitoring, and migrant students.