Browsing by Subject "School Leadership"
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Item Succession to school leadership: challenge and response for principals(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Berry, Brenda Anne RussellBetween 1998 and 2000, seventy principals were named in the Austin Independent School District to succeed other principals. Several schools had two or more principals in that period. Not only is there an immediate cost when a principal is not successful, but there is also a cost associated with repair or replacement. Knowing what is necessary in the induction experience to make a principal succeed is critical. We have an obligation to these principals, their teachers, the taxpayers, and most of all, the students, to maximize their success. This study explored the experiences of elementary principals in the Austin Independent School District who recently succeeded other principals. Issues addressed included the principals' perceptions of their experiences and the impact of those experiences on their effectiveness. Findings will be offered as recommendations that may better inform principals who step into the succession role in the district. Questionnaires were sent to elementary principals named between 1998 and 1999 and still in those same schools in 2001-2002. Based on responses, principals were invited to participate in focus groups. Based on written responses and participation in focus groups, three principals were selected as case studies. Data revealed that succession principals had positive experiences including communication with others, establishment of procedures and routines, relationship building, and knowledge of district policies and procedures. Negative experiences included the effects of prior school leadership, challenging relationships, communication issues, and lack of support. As a result of these experiences, principals developed inner strength and powerful relationships with peers. It was recommended that support for succession principals continue beyond the induction year and include: trained mentors; time to dialogue with mentors and peer principals; quick responses to questions or requests for support; and receipt, early in the process, of critical information regarding role definition, expectations, district policies, and district procedures. Recommendations for further study included: investigating the succession experiences of secondary principals; comparing the succession experiences of principals named from within the district to those named from outside the district; and studying the relationship between the rate of principal retention and teacher retention.Item The Importance of the Relationships Between Teachers and School Principals(2012-04-19) Van Beck, Scott; MacNeil, Angus; Busch, Steve; Emerson, Wayne; Liberman, David (Dov)Leithwood et al. (2004), Marzano, Waters, and McNulty (2005), Portin et al. (2009), Louis and Leithwood et al. (2010), and Knapp et al. (2010) stated that the relationship between teachers and the school principal are extremely important in high-performing schools. Likewise, low-performing schools lack strong, positive relationships between teachers and their school principal. As the center of reflective practice between teachers and the principal, the school itself will be a critical key to improving our nation's future student achievement. For this study, 310 practicing campus principals from a large Gulf Coast metropolitan area were interviewed. This study looked at the responses of school principals when asked the following questions: 1) Why is the relationship between the principal and the teacher important for the school? 2) What is the most critical feature for a successful working relationship between the teacher and the principal? 3) What does a principal do to create good relations with their teachers? And, 4) How does the principal look out for the personal welfare of their teachers? Data coding was utilized to determine the emergent themes from the principals' responses regarding their beliefs about the importance of developing relationships between the school principal and teachers. Descriptive statistics were utilized to determine percentages and frequencies of principals' responses. Results of the study showed that principals identified three dominant factors in positive relationships between principals and teachers that impact student achievement. Leadership and support, communication, and inter-personal (trust and respect) skills were found to be the most important factors in developing positive relationships between principals and teachers to impact student achievement. The results of this study will expand the knowledge base regarding the complex role and expectations of the principal and provide useful information that can be used to inform graduate level educational leadership courses and the preparation of scool leaders, in addition to providing for better professional development and evaluation during teaching and principal careers.Item Transcending invisibility through the power of story: an analysis of the life journey of Mr. John, a rural school custodian, as told by his granddaughter(Texas A&M University, 2005-02-17) Maxwell, Gerri M.Public school leaders routinely overlook the talents and contributions of blue-collar support staff that can and do play viable roles in the success of schools. Somewhat ironically, a common piece of advice given to first year teachers by more experienced mentors is, ?Get to know the school secretary and custodian ? everybody knows they really run the school.? Although this phrase is commonly bantered about by educators and informal school lore accords it the status of truth, the school leadership research literature is virtually silent about the contributions such workers can make. In Texas, where there are over one thousand school districts, many of which are rural and ?stepping stones? for career track administrators, it is these community members who work as the secretaries, bus drivers, and custodians that many times serve as the cultural glue helping these districts survive. These invisible workers make important contributions to the coherency of the culture and mission of the school. My white maternal grandfather worked as a custodian in a rural school district for more than fifty-three years. Within the past five years, in the course of conversation, two casual acquaintances volunteered information regarding my grandfather?s contributions as a custodian in that school district that later I realized were instrumental in the sense of the project coming to me (Cole & Knowles, 2001). As a rural school custodian with a third grade education, my grandfather lived with multiple oppressive forces in his life. The lack of opportunity for education, the low socio-economic status of his rural family, the marginalization that society deals to those persons who choose dirty work (Meagher, 2002), and the sometimes overt, but often just an unintentional, power struggle with school leadership were all oppressive forces in his life. Whether he consciously realized it or not, my grandfather?s behavior (as evidenced by informant conversations) revealed this oppression. He survived, even thrived, and dealt with this oppression through the most effective means he knew of and obviously honed throughout his lifetime. My grandfather used humor as a means of survival. My grandfather was a master storyteller. This is his story.