Browsing by Subject "Superintendents"
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Item Aspirations and Experiences of West Texas Superintendent Certified Women(2010-12) Duwe, Karan; Mendez-Morse, Sylvia; Klinker, JoAnn F.; Valle, FernandoAspirations and Experiences of West Texas Superintendent Certified Women Abstract The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry is to discover the common experiences of women school administrators that influence and hinder their aspirations of becoming school district superintendents. This qualitative study examines the aspirations and experiences of superintendent certified women in West Texas. It is framed in Shakeshaft’s Stages of Research on Women in Administration. Research questions guiding this study were: 1. What specific experiences and motivations influenced aspiring female administrators to attain certification for superintendency? 2. What is happening to qualified women school administrators that cause them not to pursue a superintendent position? The research design is qualitative using in-depth interviews and an online discussion forum so the participants could respond to each other. Eight women were selected to participate in the study with half having applied for a superintendent position. Results show that women attain their superintendent certification (1) out of convenience, adding the courses to the end of their principal certification program, (2) to prepare themselves for any opportunities they may encounter in the future and (3) for professional development. Factors that cause the women to lose their aspirations are (1) lack of mobility, (2) lack of access to information, (3) gender discrimination, (4) lack of mentoring, (5) school boards that won’t consider women and (6) the ‘Good Ole Boy Network’. This study adds to the knowledge concerning the lack of female superintendents and the factors that cause women who have attained superintendent certification not to pursue that position. It contributes to the data in Shakeshaft’s stage 4 in which women are studied on their own terms and stage 5 in which women challenge theory. This study also contributes to the preparation of women to become superintendents by revealing experiences and perceptions of other women and adding to new theoretical perspectives of educational leadership that includes both men’s and women’s experiences.Item Factors superintendents consider when making the decision between commercially developed curriculum or locally developed curriculum(2011-05) Veazey, Lana Kay; Olivárez, Rubén; Sharpe, Edwin; Keating, Xiaofen; Ott, Bobby; Siler, JillThis study examined the factors superintendents consider when making the decision between commercially developed curriculum or locally developed curriculum. This study was guided by three research questions: (a) What factors does the superintendent consider in selecting a curriculum? (b) How do these factors impact the decision to use a commercially developed curriculum or to use a locally developed curriculum? and (c) How does the decision-making process regarding curriculum selection correlate with other functions of the superintendent and the school district? This qualitative multiple-case study intended to describe the experiences of six school superintendents who have served in this capacity for ample time to have developed a perspective in relation to curriculum choice for their respective districts. During semi-structured interviews, questions posed to the participants were organized around the following themes: (a) importance of curriculum along with time devoted to overseeing curriculum and how this relates to other responsibilities of the superintendent; (b) the factors considered when deciding curriculum choice; (c) the pros and cons of commercially developed curriculum and locally developed curriculum; and (d) the challenges associated with curriculum. This questioning along with the review of documents relating to curriculum guided the development of the findings and provided structure for the reporting of data and analysis. The data collected through the interviews and document reviews were coded according to first-level coding and pattern coding. This research study revealed that overseeing and maintaining a guaranteed and viable curriculum is very time and cost intensive, but the essential piece for student achievement. In addition, in regards to deciding between commercially developed or locally developed curriculum, the superintendents in this study were adamant advocates for their curriculum choice and had justifiable reasons for their choice. The final finding disclosed in this study was that with the role of the superintendent being very taxing, the function of Curriculum and Instruction does not always take priority. In conclusion, with such emphasis placed on having a guaranteed and viable curriculum, as the chief instructional leader, superintendents must put forth a concentrated effort to select a curriculum that will promote and support student learning and success.Item Moral judgment and public school superintendents in Texas(2009-05-15) Hope, Michael WayneThe purpose of this study was to examine moral judgment of public school superintendents in Texas when faced with moral dilemmas. The Defining Issues Test-2 was used to measure levels of moral judgment. A demographic survey was also used in order to examine the relationship between moral judgment levels and certain demographic variables. A stratified random sample of all public school superintendents based on district size were surveyed. Surveys were mailed to 200 small districts, 100 medium districts, and 50 large districts. A total of 104 superintendents participated in this study. T-test for independent samples, one-way analysis of variance, and linear regression were used for purposes of data analysis. An alpha level of .05 was used as the level of significance. Data were entered and manipulated using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software. Results of the study indicated no statistically significant relationship existed between the superintendent?s moral judgment level and certain demographic variables using t-test and analysis of variance measures. However, results from the linear regression showed that four of the independent variable subgroups contributed to moral judgment levels. The four independent variable subgroups were respondents who had served 16-20 years as a superintendent, who had served 16-20 years in his or her current district, who had a salary in the $50,000-$74,999 range, and whose ethnicity was Hispanic.Item Superintendent Emotional Intelligence and Student Achievement: A Quantitative Study(2011-05) Wiswell, Christina L.; Klinker, JoAnn F.; Lan, William; Tipton, Pamela E.The quality of leadership is reflected in the achievements of the organization. Effective leadership draws upon both cognitive intelligence and emotional intelligence. The skills related to emotional intelligence can be developed through focused effort. This quantitative study explored the relationship between Texas public school district superintendents’ emotional intelligence and student achievement, controlling for the effect of district size, proportion of economically disadvantaged students of the districts, and length of the superintendent’s employment. Every public school superintendent in Texas was invited to participate in the study by completing the online MSCEIT. The data file included 211 of the 1024 eligible superintendents. The Management branch of the MSCEIT significantly correlated with AEIS, as well as the percent of economically disadvantaged students. By better understanding the influence of the superintendents’ emotional intelligence on the students’ academic success, enlightenment will inform decision making at the superintendent level and its effect on student achievement.