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Title: Does leadership matter?: the relationship of school leadership to a safe school climate,bullying, and fighting in middle school.
Creator: Leff, Jonathan M., Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a relationship between transformational principal leadership style, a safe school climate, and school safety (specifically, the number of reported fights and reported bullying incidents) in Broward County, Florida’s middle schools. This study also investigated if a relationship exists between transformational leadership and a safe school climate, transformational leadership, and the number of bullying incidents and student...
Show moreThe purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a relationship between transformational principal leadership style, a safe school climate, and school safety (specifically, the number of reported fights and reported bullying incidents) in Broward County, Florida’s middle schools. This study also investigated if a relationship exists between transformational leadership and a safe school climate, transformational leadership, and the number of bullying incidents and student fights, and a safe school climate and the number of bullying incidents and student fights. The study surveyed 12 middle schools located in a large, urban district in south Florida. Principal leadership style was determined from the MLQ-5X, school safety climate was determined from the school district’s Annual Customer Survey, and the reported number of fights and bullying incidents recorded in the school district’s Discipline Management System were collected via records request for each participating middle school and tallied. Pearson correlations were conducted to examine the bivariate association between the leadership dimensions, a safe school climate, and school violence. Separate multiple linear regression models were used to examine the following relationships: leadership style and the number of reported fights and reported bullying incidents; leadership style and a safe school climate; and a safe school climate and the number of reported fights and reported bullying incidents. The findings suggested that there were no statistically significant correlations between leadership style (transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire), and bullying or fighting, and no statistically significant correlation between principal leadership style and middle school climate. There was a statistically significant correlation found between school climate and the number of student fights. The significance of this finding is important because it illustrates the adverse impact fighting has on student safety, which, in turn, adversely affects the school climate. Therefore, it is up to the school leader to create a climate where everyone feels safe can focus on student achievement.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004133, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004133
Subject Headings: Bullying in schools -- Prevention, Education, Secondary -- Sociological aspects, Educational leadership, Educational leadership, Middle school students -- Attitudes, Middle school teachers -- Attitudes, School management and organization
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A private school leadership perspective on highly qualified middle school science teachers.
Creator: Bogaski, Carolyn Siniscalchi, Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to determine how Florida (FL) private, middle school (MS) leaders define highly qualified (HQ) MS science teachers, and how congruent their definitions are. The study also determines how congruent these leaders’ definitions are with FL, national, and National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) definitions. Lastly, the study determines the major challenges these private MS leaders have in hiring MS science teachers who meet the NSTA definition of HQ.
Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004349, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004349
Subject Headings: Comparative education, Educational leadership, School management and organization, Science -- Study and teaching (Middle school)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Understanding teacher leadership and professional learning in a secondary mathematics department.
Creator: Higgins, Christine., College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
Abstract/Description: This ethnographic study investigated teacher leadership and professional learning in a secondary mathematics department. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth face-to-face interviews, observations, and document analysis. It is the social aspect of the school environment and specifically, the subject department, which presents an opportunity for teachers to learn and share their expertise with one another in an informal setting and for teacher leaders to emerge using their expertise...
Show moreThis ethnographic study investigated teacher leadership and professional learning in a secondary mathematics department. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth face-to-face interviews, observations, and document analysis. It is the social aspect of the school environment and specifically, the subject department, which presents an opportunity for teachers to learn and share their expertise with one another in an informal setting and for teacher leaders to emerge using their expertise and close proximity to affect the learning of colleagues. Teachers were asked to share their thoughts on leadership and learning within their department. A narrative was written to give the reader a better understanding of the day-to-day practices, behaviors, and habits of the teachers in the department, creating a holistic picture of the culture studied. ... teacher leadership is experienced informally through teachers sharing and talking about their practice. Teacher leadership is also experienced outside the department when teachers have opportunities to lead school professional development seminars and to practice leadership through role modeling. Professional learning is experienced one-on-one, as well as formally and informally through colleagues and organized workshops. Implications for administrators, department and team leaders, and policy implementation are discussed. This study may contribute to the development of teacher leadership and professional learning, which ultimately may lead to improving student achievement.
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Date Issued: 2013
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3362376
Subject Headings: Educational leadership, School management and organization, Mathematics, Study and teaching (Secondary), Teacher effectiveness, School improvement programs
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A case study of planning and implementing whole-school reform at a middle school.
Creator: Abramowitz, Rochelle., Florida Atlantic University, Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the dilemmas of planning and implementing whole-school reform in a middle school from the perception of administrators, teachers and parents. A qualitative case study approach was used. Data collection included interviews, observations, and document analysis. Interviews with 28 participants were divided into three consecutive sessions conducted from the bottom up in terms of the hierarchy of power in the organization. Data were transcribed, coded,...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to investigate the dilemmas of planning and implementing whole-school reform in a middle school from the perception of administrators, teachers and parents. A qualitative case study approach was used. Data collection included interviews, observations, and document analysis. Interviews with 28 participants were divided into three consecutive sessions conducted from the bottom up in terms of the hierarchy of power in the organization. Data were transcribed, coded, triangulated, and analyzed to understand the views of participants. The study resulted in three major findings: (a) The principal enhanced the learning organization's capacity for whole-school reform by balancing tensions and conflicts; (b) Implementing a high-stakes testing regime and reform design simultaneously contributed to teacher overload, and reduced the capacity of teachers to implement whole-school reform; and, (c) Learning communities had a pivotal role in fostering collaboration for whole-school reform. The study concluded that: (a) Principal leadership is vital to successful whole-school reform implementation; (b) The crucial challenge of principals in whole-school reform is forging a network of strong relationships within and across staff work teams and the community through the development of learning communities and professional development; and, (c) Whole-school reform must be balanced with and adapted to accountability system if it is to have a chance of succeeding.
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Date Issued: 2004
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12080
Subject Headings: Middle school education, Educational change, Educational leadership, School management and organization
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Sizing up the principalship: the relationship between school size and principal leadership in elementary and middle schools.
Creator: Kaplan, Mark J., College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: This study examined the issue of school size and the potential impact that school size has on the leadership behaviors of principals. Contextual factors were also considered as potential moderators of the relationship between transformational/ transactional/laissez-faire leadership behavior and school size. Data were collected and analyzed using quantitative methods. A survey was conducted based on a chosen model to gather the data. Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) surveys were...
Show moreThis study examined the issue of school size and the potential impact that school size has on the leadership behaviors of principals. Contextual factors were also considered as potential moderators of the relationship between transformational/ transactional/laissez-faire leadership behavior and school size. Data were collected and analyzed using quantitative methods. A survey was conducted based on a chosen model to gather the data. Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) surveys were distributed electronically to school staff in elementary and middle schools in Sunshine County, Florida for input regarding their principal's behavior. Using one-way and two-way analysis of variance tests for the main and moderating factors, the survey results indicated that while the main effect of size has no direct impact on principal leadership behavior, contextual factors (socio-economics, principal gender, and principal experience) do moderate the relationship between specific transformational principal leadership behaviors and school size.
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Date Issued: 2011
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3171397
Subject Headings: School management and organization, Educational leadership, School principals, Action research in education
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Principal Leader Actions and Their Influence on School Culture and School Performance.
Creator: Featherstone, Ginger L., Pisapia, John, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: This quantitative, non-experimental study was conducted to determine whether there is a link between the principal’s behavioral agility, the organization’s culture, and school performance as defined by the state’s Value Added Measure (VAM). Additionally, this study examined if there was a moderator influence of contextual factors to behavioral agility and school culture and school culture and school performance. Data collection was obtained through the use of two validated scales, the...
Show moreThis quantitative, non-experimental study was conducted to determine whether there is a link between the principal’s behavioral agility, the organization’s culture, and school performance as defined by the state’s Value Added Measure (VAM). Additionally, this study examined if there was a moderator influence of contextual factors to behavioral agility and school culture and school culture and school performance. Data collection was obtained through the use of two validated scales, the Strategic Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ) and the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI). Multiple regression was conducted to determine the extent each independent variable predicts school performance. Hayes’s (2012) PROCESS macro for SPSS was completed to determine if school culture mediated the relationship between behavioral agility and school performance and school culture and school performance. Significant correlations were found between and within the two instruments measured unidimensionally and multidimensionally. The OCAI findings included significant, high effect correlations with the four culture types, although market was not correlated with clan or adhocracy. All subscales of the SLQ had positive significant correlations within the instrument. School size was significantly negatively correlated with clan and adhocracy culture types. School performance was found to be significantly correlated with hierarchy culture type and school level. The contribution this study makes is both theoretical and practical. Theoretically, this study offers insights into school level and its moderation of culture and school performances as well as the influence culture types have on school performance. Practically, the study could identify a new culture type valuable to principals for improving school performance.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004885, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004885
Subject Headings: School principals., Educational leadership., Education--Research--Methodology., School management and organization., School improvement programs., Action research in education.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: An exploratory multiple case study of succession planning for higher education community engagement practitioners in selected higher education institutions in theSoutheastern region of the United States.
Creator: Louisy, Heidi, Wright, Dianne A., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: Succession planning is a relatively new construct within higher education institutions (HEIs). The researcher explored the extent to which selected HEIs employ succession planning strategies in reference to the Higher Education Community Engagement Practitioner (HECEP) role and in support of HEIs earning the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification (CCEC). Four HEIs served as study sites for this research, along with a nationally recognized professional development program. Study results...
Show moreSuccession planning is a relatively new construct within higher education institutions (HEIs). The researcher explored the extent to which selected HEIs employ succession planning strategies in reference to the Higher Education Community Engagement Practitioner (HECEP) role and in support of HEIs earning the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification (CCEC). Four HEIs served as study sites for this research, along with a nationally recognized professional development program. Study results revealed that HEIs are not currently using succession planning strategies for the HECEP role. Further, although the study revealed that professional development opportunities for HECEPs exist, only 50% of institutional study participants were aware of, and participated. Finally, based on the credentials of individuals currently in HECEP roles and data obtained from this study (including data from an expert judge linked to the professional development program analyzed as part of this study), the researcher provides a job specification template for determining if institutions have a pipeline of individuals who could be prepared to assume the HECEP role in the future. This study, although limited in scope as it relates to succession planning, provides insight into the attitudes and perceptions of specific higher education professionals toward the professional development of employees, and more specifically, the HECEP role.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004303, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004303
Subject Headings: Education, Higher -- Aims and objectives, Educational leadership, Leadership in education, Organizational change, School management and organization, Universities and colleges -- Administration
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: An Assessment of Leadership Practice in High Schools: Improving Graduation Rates.
Creator: Osorio, Maria Eugenia, Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia, Bogotch, Ira, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: This research was based on a multi-case study design focused on the leadership practice of high school principals and assistant principals and their roles in improving graduation rates. The study sought to answer one overarching research questions: In schools that demonstrate an increase in graduation rates what leadership practices are evidenced in principals and assistant principals and teacher leaders. One sub-question addressed the tools and interventions that the leadership team...
Show moreThis research was based on a multi-case study design focused on the leadership practice of high school principals and assistant principals and their roles in improving graduation rates. The study sought to answer one overarching research questions: In schools that demonstrate an increase in graduation rates what leadership practices are evidenced in principals and assistant principals and teacher leaders. One sub-question addressed the tools and interventions that the leadership team practices in relation to improving graduation rates and the second sub-question addressed the accountability of changing standards with respect to graduation rates. A third sub-question sought to answer how interactions of principals and assistant principals relevant to improvement in student performance are interpreted by faculty and staff. The purposeful sample from each of the three high schools consisted of one principal, four assistant principals and one teacher leader. Data collection methods included interviews, observations and qualitative document review of high school graduation rates. The study reveals six major findings: (a) school leaders establish a clear vision, mission or goal to increase graduation rates, (b) identification, management and evaluation of academic enrichment programs are necessary interventions for student success, (c) school leaders build a culture of student learning and achievement through a system of processes, programs and support initiatives, (d) the leadership team is knowledgeable, strongly motivated and devoted to their role as leaders in serving all students, (e) school leaders use data as guiding variables in making decisions regarding at-risk student achievement and success, and (f) school leaders develop and foster positive relationships with students and teachers.
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004618
Subject Headings: School improvement programs., Educational leadership., School management and organization., School principals--Professional relationships., Assistant school principals--Professional relationships., Organizational behavior.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Principal leadership: the missing link in teacher retention.
Creator: Cornella, Janet A., College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this research study was to identify practices that principals utilize that are believed to influence teacher retention. Teacher turnover is a major problem facing principals and school systems today. Much of the present research focuses on why teachers leave the field, but there is little research on the principals' perceptions of what they do to stem the flow of educators leaving the classroom. To accomplish this purpose, a case study was conducted, focused on identifying the...
Show moreThe purpose of this research study was to identify practices that principals utilize that are believed to influence teacher retention. Teacher turnover is a major problem facing principals and school systems today. Much of the present research focuses on why teachers leave the field, but there is little research on the principals' perceptions of what they do to stem the flow of educators leaving the classroom. To accomplish this purpose, a case study was conducted, focused on identifying the principals' role in teacher retention and their perceptions of the most important strategies utilized to stimulate high teacher retention. Qualitative research methods including individual interviews, open-ended questionnaires, and focus groups enabled the researcher to identify, compare, and contrast the perceptions, beliefs, and practices used by the nine study participants. The research design produced interviews filled with rich narratives describing the practices used by principals at schools with high teacher retention. The focus group discussion elucidated the common behaviors that were perceived to support teacher retention. The study yielded evidence that high-performing principals with high teacher retention rates clearly and consistently identified specific practices they believe support teacher retention; that principals play a vital role in teacher retention and that their leadership, support, and daily practices influence a teacher's decision to remain in teaching. The data collected indicates the centrality of creating a positive school culture and a sense of belonging. All the other identified principal practices are intertwined with and contribute to this outcome., Choosing, supporting, and valuing faculty and encouraging shared decision-making appear to be the central practices in building teacher retention; and these practices are supported by and integrated with principals' modeling of positive personal characteristics, exercising fairness and equity, being visible and approachable, and communicating in an open two-way manner. Congruence of findings from all data collection methods provided an updated list of common practices identified by these highly successful principals that may inform principal preparation and a professional development model for present and future educational leaders interested in maintaining a stable teaching faculty.
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Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2683125
Subject Headings: Teacher turnover, School prinicipals, Training of, Teachers, Recruiting, School management and organization, Educational leadership
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Instructional Leadership In High Schools: The Effects of Principals, Assistant Principals, and Department Heads on Student Achievement.
Creator: Todd, Tara Lynn, Bogotch, Ira, Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of instructional leadership on student achievement through the instructional leadership of principals, assistant principals and math department heads at the high school level. The Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale was used to quantify instructional leadership in ten different job functions. The research questions were as follows: 1. Can the instructional leadership of principals, assistant principals, and math department...
Show moreThe purpose of the study was to examine the influence of instructional leadership on student achievement through the instructional leadership of principals, assistant principals and math department heads at the high school level. The Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale was used to quantify instructional leadership in ten different job functions. The research questions were as follows: 1. Can the instructional leadership of principals, assistant principals, and math department heads be described at the high school level? 2. Whose instructional leadership has the greatest relationship to student achievement, principals, assistant principals, or math department heads? 3. Does team alignment in instructional leadership matter to student achievement? 4. Does socioeconomic status moderate the relationship between the job function and student achievement? Instructional leadership questionnaires were distributed to the principal, the assistant principal in charge of curriculum, and the math department head in all public high schools in five of the seven largest counties in Florida. The unit of study was the instructional leadership role linkage between the principal, the assistant principal, and the department head as it related to student achievement. The study found that (a) principals exhibit instructional leadership behaviors at a higher frequency than assistant principals and math department heads, (b) instructional leadership team alignment does not correlate to math achievement, and (c) principals' and assistant principals' behaviors correlate to math achievement, but math department heads do not. The study also found that student achievement is moderated by socioeconomic status. These findings suggest that the administrative setup in schools should be examined. The alignment of instructional leadership behaviors did not significantly correlate with student achievement; however, the correlation was positive in eight of the ten job functions. Differentiation of roles may be the key to understanding why alignment and achievement are positively correlated. Mixed method studies may also need to be used in future research, as this study contradicted other studies in the area of the department head's influence. Finally, the role of the department head should be studied in depth. This role may be the critical, yet indirect link to student achievement.
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Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000715
Subject Headings: Motivation in education, Educational leadership, High school department heads--United States, School principals--United States
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Virtual K-12 leadership: a postmodern paradigm.
Creator: Tucker, Tommy N., Bogotch, Ira, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: This phenomenological, mixed-method study compared and contrasted virtual K- 12 school leadership with traditional face-to-face leadership. All 106 participants served for a minimum of two years in each setting. The study was conducted in two phases in order to reveal consensus and dissensus points of view. Conceptually, a postmodern framework was used to deliberately create spaces for new leadership ideas to emerge through surveys and interviews. The data included teachers and leaders from...
Show moreThis phenomenological, mixed-method study compared and contrasted virtual K- 12 school leadership with traditional face-to-face leadership. All 106 participants served for a minimum of two years in each setting. The study was conducted in two phases in order to reveal consensus and dissensus points of view. Conceptually, a postmodern framework was used to deliberately create spaces for new leadership ideas to emerge through surveys and interviews. The data included teachers and leaders from charter, district, and state virtual K-12 schools. Phase one of the study used a modified Delphi methodology, consisting of an Internet-based survey and semantic differential survey. The second phase was a round of interviews, seeking similarities and differences between leadership in the two domains. Using the lens of postmodernism, the nuances of difference arising from contextual factors were examined, along with the often-unheard voices of dissensus within the ranks of virtual K-12 leaders and teachers. Among the major findings, the study revealed no significant differences in leadership between traditional and virtual K-12 leaders. A new paradigm of “leadership by design” was uncovered as one possible means of innovating through virtual K-12 leadership.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004168, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004168
Subject Headings: Education -- Effect of technological innovations on, Educational leadership, School management and organization, Virtual work teams
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The influence of university student leader’s cognitive and behavioral agility on organizational member commitment.
Creator: Adamo, Lauren, Pisapia, John, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: The focus of this study was to determine if university student leaders’ cognitive and behavioral agility is related to organizational member commitment and if this relationship is moderated by alterable and non-alterable variables. The empirical results from this study are based on the responses of 37 student leaders who occupy leadership positions in organizations and clubs in their respective university. Cognitive agility was measured by the student leader’s use of systems thinking,...
Show moreThe focus of this study was to determine if university student leaders’ cognitive and behavioral agility is related to organizational member commitment and if this relationship is moderated by alterable and non-alterable variables. The empirical results from this study are based on the responses of 37 student leaders who occupy leadership positions in organizations and clubs in their respective university. Cognitive agility was measured by the student leader’s use of systems thinking, reframing, and reflection. Student leader behavioral agility was assessed by a minimum of three organizational members rating the student leader’s use of leader influence actions (transforming, managing, bonding, bridging, and bartering) in carrying out their functions. Organizational member commitment was measured by organization member’s level of commitment with the goals and values of the organization using the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ).
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004341, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004341
Subject Headings: Interorganizational relations, Interpersonal communication, Leadership -- Psychological aspects, Management -- Psychological aspects, Organizational behavior, School management and organization
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Managed Discourse: Legitimizing Principal Identity and Agency.
Creator: Arellano, Matias, Mountford, Meredith L., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: Given the demands of the era of accountability and standardization, the purpose of this study was to explore how educational leaders construct their identity and agency. The study utilized overlapping post-structural and critical theoretical frameworks on identity and agency to analyze how high school principals interpret and enact comprehensive school reform rhetoric and their state’s educational leadership standards. In addition to several cycles of coding, a critical discourse analysis was...
Show moreGiven the demands of the era of accountability and standardization, the purpose of this study was to explore how educational leaders construct their identity and agency. The study utilized overlapping post-structural and critical theoretical frameworks on identity and agency to analyze how high school principals interpret and enact comprehensive school reform rhetoric and their state’s educational leadership standards. In addition to several cycles of coding, a critical discourse analysis was performed with the input of the participants’ high schools in order to further analyze the form and function of discourses, socially situated meanings, and ideologies that constitute being an educational leader and doing the work of an educational leader. The findings from the study revealed that the high school principals discursively construct their professional identity and agency by engaging in discourses and social practices related to managing the personnel, numerical data, and external expectations of the organization. As a result, the participants use the comprehensive school reform rhetoric as a way to legitimize and rationalize their duty as educators. The socially situated meaning attributed to the state’s educational leadership standards is not as clear, with the participants dismissing their value for a lack of context. In interpreting and enacting the school reform policy mandates set forth by the district and the state, principals conserve a corporatized model of school leadership that borrows much of its neoliberal language from the business sphere. The principals are positioned as mid-level managers, confirming Foster’s (2004) description of the contemporary school leader who is preoccupied with controlling the numeracy, information systems, and language of the organization. Future research should focus on performing critical discourse analysis studies with the upper levels of management, including, but not limited to, the central office and the office of the superintendent, as a way of exploring a more transcendent meaning of schooling and school leadership that focuses on human development. This study has the potential to provide leadership preparation programs and policymakers significant insight into the problems, paradoxes, and possibilities of school reform rhetoric and its impact on local school leaders.
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004657, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004657
Subject Headings: Critical pedagogy, Discourse analysis, Education -- Research -- Methodology, Educational leadership, High school principals, Identity (Psychology)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Distributed leadership: An exploratory study.
Creator: Lucia, Rosemary T., Florida Atlantic University, Bogotch, Ira
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of leadership and its effectiveness in an elementary school setting. This investigation viewed distribution as a horizontal continuous process, rather than a hierarchical process with administrators, teachers and support staff each demonstrating varying degrees of involvement in leadership activities according to roles, situations, leadership styles and organizational relationships. This study was anchored in a democratic,...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of leadership and its effectiveness in an elementary school setting. This investigation viewed distribution as a horizontal continuous process, rather than a hierarchical process with administrators, teachers and support staff each demonstrating varying degrees of involvement in leadership activities according to roles, situations, leadership styles and organizational relationships. This study was anchored in a democratic, distributed perspective using the work of Jack Gibb, Richard E. Elmore, Peter Gronn, and James Spillane as its foundation. The design of this study involved the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative path involved data collection through surveys and existing documents. The qualitative data collection involved interviews and observations. In order to maximize the probability for identifying the dynamics and effects of distributed leadership in elementary schools, the settings for this study included schools engaged in a guidance grant model in both Broward County and Pasco County Public School Districts in Florida, which, on the surface, appeared to have distributed leadership components already in practice. The sample for this study included six Florida elementary schools, three located in Broward County and three in Pasco County. Four of these schools, two from Broward County and two from Pasco County, had been implementing the guidance reform effort. The two remaining schools, one in Broward County and one in Pasco County, demonstrated similar demographics and closely matched socioeconomic status of the grant schools, but were outside the guidance grant program. The population used in this sampling included principals, assistant principals, teachers, titled teacher leaders, school counselors and support staff. The findings of this study confirmed the theories of Gibb, Elmore, Gronn, and Spillane through the development of the Distributed Leadership Cycle. Distributed leadership is the key to effective collaboration that will positively impact the quality of teaching and learning, thus impacting student achievement. It is this integrative, relational model of distribution that will propel schools forward. Distributed leadership is the theoretical lens through which leadership practice in school can be reconfigured and re-conceptualized for the 21st century.
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Date Issued: 2004
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12122
Subject Headings: Educational leadership, Education--Philosophy, School management and organization, Educational change
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A study of teacher response to a program of whole-school change.
Creator: Solomon, Gail Fern, Florida Atlantic University, Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia
Abstract/Description: This single site qualitative case study of a large high school was conducted during the course of one school year. The study focused on how secondary level teachers of the four core content areas, language arts, science, social studies and mathematics, responded to a program of whole school change. In addition to teachers, the administration and support staff were interviewed. The primary sources of data were the results of one hour interviews, document analysis and researcher non-participant...
Show moreThis single site qualitative case study of a large high school was conducted during the course of one school year. The study focused on how secondary level teachers of the four core content areas, language arts, science, social studies and mathematics, responded to a program of whole school change. In addition to teachers, the administration and support staff were interviewed. The primary sources of data were the results of one hour interviews, document analysis and researcher non-participant observations. The purpose of this study was to identify and understand teachers' various responses to a program of whole school change. The major concepts underlying the study were the meaning of change, the need for schools to change, the change process, the role of people involved in the change process and the proliferation of various programs of whole school change. The research findings highlighted the importance of: recognizing only one whole school change initiative as the primary focus, being knowledgeable of the whole school change initiative, constantly working on personalizing the school's vision, facing external and internal change forces, handling challenges and dealing with the rate of change. The conclusions of the study are that from attempted implementation of multiple school change initiatives perhaps only one change initiative will rise to prominence, teacher involvement and buy-in are important components of successful whole school change, educators face both internal and external factors while implementing whole school change and the principal plays a crucial role in successful whole school change.
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Date Issued: 2004
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12084
Subject Headings: Educational change, Educational leadership, Teachers--Attitudes, School management and organization
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Cultivating supportive, professional relationships among black women in educational leadership: shattering the mirror of self-destruction.
Creator: Martin-Ogburn, Dildra., College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: Although current employment statistics paint a promising picture for women in general, they fail to address both the multitude of challenges women face in their attempt to secure leadership positions or in their ability to gain and maintain support from their female colleagues. Black women, in particular, tend to be torn between their fabled image to others in the organization and their official duties and responsibilities at work. This paper discusses definitions and conceptual uses of...
Show moreAlthough current employment statistics paint a promising picture for women in general, they fail to address both the multitude of challenges women face in their attempt to secure leadership positions or in their ability to gain and maintain support from their female colleagues. Black women, in particular, tend to be torn between their fabled image to others in the organization and their official duties and responsibilities at work. This paper discusses definitions and conceptual uses of horizontal and vertical violence by Black female educational leaders ; problematizes the phenomenon as outlined by Freire (1970) at the theoretical level ; outlines the proposed qualitative methods, which will be used to investigate the phenomenon further ; and taking Paulo Freire's lead, explores the implications of sabotage or violence coming from members of the same minority group. In this specific case, Black female educational leaders will serve as the primary participants of the study. Once the data is collected and analyzed, the paper will include an analysis of the data and a discussion of the findings followed by recommendations based on the findings of the study.
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3352281
Subject Headings: Women school administrators, Educational leadership, Philosophy, African Americans, Race identity, African American women, Social conditions
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Improving School Performance: Leader Autonomy and Entrepreneurial Orientation.
Creator: Feit, Keith G., Pisapia, John, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: In a growingly complex and ambiguous world it is thought that flexible, change-oriented leadership that encourages a culture that is risk taking, innovative, and proactive is necessary to survive and prosper. The extant literature offers entrepreneurial leadership as having a positive impact in such environments in business settings. Schools, which are not exempt from complex and ambiguous environments, might also benefit from this new type of leadership. Hence, this study expands the study...
Show moreIn a growingly complex and ambiguous world it is thought that flexible, change-oriented leadership that encourages a culture that is risk taking, innovative, and proactive is necessary to survive and prosper. The extant literature offers entrepreneurial leadership as having a positive impact in such environments in business settings. Schools, which are not exempt from complex and ambiguous environments, might also benefit from this new type of leadership. Hence, this study expands the study of entrepreneurial leadership to the education profession, examining the relationship between principal autonomy, a principal’s entrepreneurial orientation, school culture, and school performance. This study, supported by findings of numerous educational leadership studies, posits that a significant positive indirect relationship exists between a principal’s entrepreneurial orientation and school performance, with school culture as a mediating variable. It is proposed that a greater disposition to proactive and risky behaviors in pursuit of innovation will correlate with greater cultural innovativeness, leading to higher levels of school performance. The contribution this study makes is both theoretical and practical. Theoretically, it adds a new dimension to the educational leadership literature by investigating the potential effectiveness of entrepreneurial leadership in improving teaching and learning in American schools, and the impact of risk taking, innovativeness, and proactiveness as individual distinct determinants of school performance. Practically, the study could identify new dispositions valuable to principals in efforts to improve their school’s performance. The study uses a nonexperimental, quantitative research design to explore these relationships, using correlational and regression analyses.
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004589, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004589
Subject Headings: Educational leadership., Educational innovations., Entrepreneurship., Education--Aims and objectives., Education and globalization., Academic achievement., School improvement programs.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The Relationship Between Learning Organization Principles and Student Achievement in Catholic Schools.
Creator: Brasco, Serena, Pisapia, John, Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to determine if Catholic schools in the state of Florida were using learning organization principles, and if they were, what effect did it have on student learning. The study was framed by three concepts: learning organization principles, student achievement, and contextual factors. The study employed a nonexperimental design and the school was the unit of study. The study's instrument, called the Learning Organization Survey for Schools (LOSS), was distributed...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to determine if Catholic schools in the state of Florida were using learning organization principles, and if they were, what effect did it have on student learning. The study was framed by three concepts: learning organization principles, student achievement, and contextual factors. The study employed a nonexperimental design and the school was the unit of study. The study's instrument, called the Learning Organization Survey for Schools (LOSS), was distributed to fifty Catholic schools in the state of Florida in the summer of 2006. Each school was asked to distribute the surveys to ten full-time teachers working at the schools. Thirty-four of the schools responded for a 7 5. 7 % rate of return. The study showed that Catholic schools are using learning organization principles. A reliable instrument was established and achieved face validity through the use of an expert panel. Mental models were significantly negatively related. Shared vision was significantly positively related to student achievement. Three statistically significant moderating relationships between the contextual factors, mental models, shared vision and systems thinking and student achievement were found. Two major conclusions were drawn from this study. Catholic schools are using learning organization principles, and shared vision has an impact on the success of a school. The second conclusion is that schools should work diligently to develop shared vision if they desire to improve student achievement.
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Date Issued: 2008
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000651
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: How Jamaican administrators in a large school district in Florida perceive ethnicity, gender, and mentoring have impacted their career experiences: a phenomenological study.
Creator: Barrett-Johnson, Denise P., College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to discover how ethnicity, gender, and mentoring influenced the career experiences of Jamaican administrators in Sunshine County Public Schools (SCPS), a pseudonym that was used for a large public school district in Florida. This qualitative, phenomenological study focused on the career experiences of eight Jamaican administrators in SCPS. Seven of the participants were all native-born Jamaicans and one was a first generation Jamaican, born in England to Jamaican...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to discover how ethnicity, gender, and mentoring influenced the career experiences of Jamaican administrators in Sunshine County Public Schools (SCPS), a pseudonym that was used for a large public school district in Florida. This qualitative, phenomenological study focused on the career experiences of eight Jamaican administrators in SCPS. Seven of the participants were all native-born Jamaicans and one was a first generation Jamaican, born in England to Jamaican parents and raised in Jamaica until the age of 14. The researcher gained this understanding by interviewing participants in-depth about how their Jamaican ethnicity, gender, and personal mentoring experiences impacted their personal and professional journey as administrators in SCPS. Findings and conclusions will inform mentoring and educational leadership literature on strategies for success geared toward this understudied population.
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3356889
Subject Headings: High school principals, Attitudes, Educational leadership, Critical pedagogy, Mentoring in education, Women school administrators, Attitudes, Educational change
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The heartbeat of a caring leader.
Creator: Robbins, Lynn K., Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: This doctoral dissertation explores the life of an African-American female elementary school principal using a unifying qualitative method incorporating biography, portraiture and anthropology called A renaissance method for studying leadership: A caring perspective. A portrait of the principal was derived using this method where verbatim statements were taken from friends, family, teachers, colleagues and supervisors as well as the principal herself at the school site and the town where she...
Show moreThis doctoral dissertation explores the life of an African-American female elementary school principal using a unifying qualitative method incorporating biography, portraiture and anthropology called A renaissance method for studying leadership: A caring perspective. A portrait of the principal was derived using this method where verbatim statements were taken from friends, family, teachers, colleagues and supervisors as well as the principal herself at the school site and the town where she was raised to identify emerging themes. The findings indicate that her humanistic approach to leading in high poverty and minority schools was grounded on her ethic of caring, one that she experienced as a child and that became embedded within her character as a human being. The dual significance of this study is that (a) the method provides researchers a new approach to studying the life of a leader from a humanistic approach and (b) the story provides the reader an opportunity to step inside the life of a good leader through an authentic story being told using the words and observations of those who knew her well.
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Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12197
Subject Headings: Elementary school principals--Biography, Education, Elementary--Social aspects, School environment--United States, African American women educators--Biography, Educational leadership--Biography
Format: Document (PDF)

Educational leadership (38)	+ -
School management and organization (18)	+ -
School principals (10)	+ -
Critical pedagogy (5)	+ -
Educational change (5)	+ -

School improvement programs (5)	+ -
Educational leadership. (4)	+ -
School improvement programs. (4)	+ -
Mentoring in education (3)	+ -
School leadership (3)	+ -
School management and organization. (3)	+ -
Teacher turnover (3)	+ -
Education (2)	+ -
Educational leadership--Florida (2)	+ -
Educational leadership--United States (2)	+ -
Group work in education (2)	+ -
High school principals (2)	+ -
In-service training (2)	+ -
Leadership (2)	+ -
Leadership -- Psychological aspects (2)	+ -
Motivation in education (2)	+ -
Professional learning communities (2)	+ -
School improvement programs--United States (2)	+ -
School management and organization--Decision making (2)	+ -
Social justice (2)	+ -
Strategic planning (2)	+ -
Teachers (2)	+ -
Women school administrators (2)	+ -
Academic achievement (1)	+ -
Academic achievement--Cross-cultural studies (1)	+ -

United States (5)	+ -
Florida (3)	+ -
Educational leadership--Florida (2)	+ -
Academic achievement--Florida (1)	+ -
Academic achievement--Florida--Broward County (1)	+ -

Catholic Church--Education--Florida (1)	+ -
Charter schools--Florida--Broward County (1)	+ -
Educational leadership--Florida--Broward County (1)	+ -
Educational leadership--United States (1)	+ -
Educational tests and measurements--Florida (1)	+ -
Floria (1)	+ -
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (1)	+ -
High school principals--Florida (1)	+ -
Motivation in education--Florida (1)	+ -
School improvement programs--Florida--Broward County (1)	+ -
School improvement programs--United States (1)	+ -
School management and organization--Florida (1)	+ -
School management and organization--Florida--Broward County (1)	+ -
Social aspects (1)	+ -

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. (2)	+ -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004. (1)	+ -

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