ERIC Number: ED518317
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 227
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: ISBN-978-1-1241-6116-7
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Building the Capacity of the Modern Urban Principal
Libby, Paula
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Southern California
The purpose of this research study was to investigate the impact of principal participation in a leadership capacity building and support program on educational leaders' practice and the professional practice of teachers. The two examined principals participated in the Duncan Principal Coaching Initiative (DPCI), a comprehensive, research and standards-based executive leadership program which included both professional development for the principal as well as the support of a principal coach. This mixed-methods case study explored the following five questions: (a) How does participation in the Duncan ISD Principal Coaching Initiative (DPCI) prepare principals to become effective instructional leaders? (b) How does the DPCI influence the knowledge, beliefs, and leadership practices of urban school principals? (c) How does an urban school principal create and sustain organizational structures and processes that promote effective teacher practice and improved student outcomes? (d) What leadership support structures enable leader practice? (e) How can the VAL ED Instrument serve as a coaching tool to assist principals to become effective instructional leaders? The study took a comprehensive look at the leadership practices enacted by principals who had the potential to lead to the attainment of the Texas core leadership standards to determine (a) the relationship between principal participation in the DPCI program and their leadership practice; and (b) if the practice of the two principals varied, what accounted for that variance. Qualitative as well as quantitative data were collected in a pre-intervention and post-intervention design to determine the leader's change in practice and how these factors had been shaped or reshaped by participation and experiences in the DPCI program over time. Principal and teacher interviews, classroom observations, and principal field observations provided qualitative data sets, while quantitative data were provided from the results of the pre-post intervention of the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-Ed) survey administrations. Document analysis also contributed instrumental data sets from which to assess a change or growth in the principal's leadership behaviors. When comparing the two case schools, findings from this research revealed critical differences in the principals' levels of participation in the DPCI and the effective utilization of their coach. This study also identified several conditions that may have contributed to these differences and which, if remedied, could refine the DPCI and other executive leadership development programs. These include (a) adopting a formalized cohort model for principals as well as their coaches, (b) establishing a purposeful criteria for principal selection and clear expectations for coaches, and (c) expecting the use and embedding opportunities for greater understanding of a leadership assessment tool. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.
Descriptors: Urban Schools, Intervention, Program Effectiveness, Instructional Leadership, Principals, Teaching Methods, Leadership Qualities, Administrator Qualifications, Case Studies, Professional Development, Administrator Effectiveness, Teacher Effectiveness, Academic Achievement, Interviews, Administrator Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Observation, Pretests Posttests
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A