Examination of the Skills and Dispositions Needed for Assistant Principals to Be Effective Disciplinarians

Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU

Dissertations Graduate College

8-2003

Sherie Lynn Williams Western Michigan University

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Sherie Lynn Williams

A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Public Affairs and Administration

Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan August 2003

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. EXAMINATION OF THE SKILLS AND DISPOSITIONS NEEDED FOR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS TO BE EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINARIANS

Sherie Lynn Williams, Ph.D.

Western Michigan University, 2003

The main purpose of this study was to identify the set of key skills and

dispositions needed by secondary school assistant principals to function as effective

disciplinarians. A secondary purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of

males and females concerning this topic. This was accomplished by exploring the

perceptions of experts and practitioners, both male and female, concerning their ideas on

the skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals at the secondary level to be

successful disciplinarians.

This study used two methods of data collection, the Delphi Method of collecting

information and focus groups. A panel of experts thus rank-ordered the set of key skills

and dispositions deemed essential to assistant principals during the discipline process.

This ranked list of skills and dispositions was then used as an introductory activity in two

focus groups of current assistant principals, one male and one female.

Based on the results of this study, the skills and dispositions identified to be most

needed by assistant principals to be successful disciplinarians are skills to be fair while

establishing a positive school climate. Also identified as most needed are the dispositions

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. to be honest, trustworthy, straightforward and ethical. Being an effective communicator

is also identified as an essential skill.

A frustration expressed by practitioners was the unique issues surrounding the

discipline requirements of students with special needs. For example, a need for assistant

principals to possess greater knowledge of classroom management and also of specific

groups of students, such as students with special needs, was identified. An additional

frustration was expressed concerning the lack of knowledge and ability teachers possess

in maintaining classroom control and managing discipline issues.

Overall, both male and female practitioners and experts in the field of education

agreed upon the skills and dispositions needed for assistant principals to be successful

disciplinarians. However, assistant principals felt that the full variety of skills they bring

to the position is not appreciated. Rather than be considered only as disciplinarians,

practitioners felt that they should be viewed as educational leaders with discipline seen as

only a part of their responsibilities.

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The writer wishes to acknowledge the assistance of all those who have made

contributions to this project. Dr. Peter Kobrak, major advisor, whose encouragement and

wisdom blazed a trail to follow. Dr. Cindy Mader, committee member and mentor,

whose patience and guidance lent support during most the needed moments. Dr. Wendy

Wintermute, committee member, who helped make sense of the ideas and mountains of

data.

Gratitude is also expressed to all the participants for their contribution of time and

thoughts. Special gratitude goes to friends Gail and Bill Jackson and many others who

have shown support over the years.

Last, but certainly not least, an expression of love and gratitude to my family. To

my beautiful daughters, Deanna and Whitney, whose love and faith never cease to amaze

me. The accomplishment of this project pales in comparison to the accomplishment of

nurturing two young women as fine as you. And certainly, to my husband and partner,

Ray, whose belief in me far surpasses my own. As you told me so many years ago, “Just

do it, Dr. Williams.” Well, WE did it!

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...... ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS...... iii

APPENDIX...... v

LIST OF TABLES...... vi

Chapter

I. THE STUDY...... 1

Statement of the Problem...... 1 Research T opic ...... 4 Student’s Need for Discipline ...... 5 Current Trends in Discipline and Classroom Management ...... 7 How Male and Female Administrators Relate to Discipline and the Role of the Principal ...... 8 Rationale for the Study ...... 12 Organization of Subsequent Chapters ...... 14

H. LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 16

Roles and Responsibilities of Assistant Principals ...... 16 Schoolwide Discipline ...... 25 Management ...... 28 Gender and School Administration ...... 31 Summary...... 37

HI. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...... 39

Research Questions ...... 39 Methodology / Type of Research ...... 40 Operational Definitions ...... 52 Assumptions . 53 Limitations...... 54 Data Analysis M ethods...... 55 Instrument ...... 56

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents - Continued

Chapter

IV. FINDINGS...... 58

Delphi Study ...... 58 Summary of Delphi Study Responses ...... 68 Focus G roups ...... 69 Fairness and Consistency...... 78 Student Relationships ...... 79 Special Education Student Needs ...... 81 Educating Teachers on the Disciplinary Process ...... 81 Instruction Leading and Training ...... 83 Gender Issues ...... 84 Summary of Focus Group Responses ...... 87

V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS...... 89

Summary of Study...... 89 Conclusions ...... 91 Gender Differences...... 106 Recommendations ...... 110 Suggestions for Future Research ...... 112

APPENDIX...... 115

BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 133

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1. Letter to Participants - Delphi S tudy ...... 116

2. Phone Script - Delphi Study ...... 117

3. Survey 1 ...... 118

4. Survey 2 ...... 121

5. Second Letter to Participants - Delphi S tudy ...... 124

6. Letter to Participants - Focus Groups ...... 125

7. Phone Script - Focus Groups ...... 126

8. Survey 2 for Focus Groups - Delphi Responses ...... 127

9. Survey 2 for Focus Groups ...... 128

10. Informed Consent Form for Delphi Study ...... 129

11. Informed Consent Form for Focus G roup ...... 131

BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 133

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table Page

1 Delphi Study - Position Held by Participants ...... 48

2 Delphi Study - Survey 2 Responses - Skills and Dispositions Needed for Assistant Principals to be Effective Disciplinarians ...... 60

3 Delphi Study - Skills and Dispositions with Interquartile Range of 6.00 or Greater ...... 63

4 Delphi Study - Responses, by Gender, with Median Score Differences Of 3.00 or G reater ...... 64

5 Delphi Study - Frequency of Responses to Delphi Study Top Ten Requested Skills and Dispositions ...... 65

6 Focus Group - Median Scores of Skills and Dispositions ...... 71

7 Focus Group - Skills and Dispositions with Interquartile Range of 5.50 or Greater...... 74

8 Focus Group - Responses, by gender, with Median Score Differences of 3.00 or Greater...... 75

9 Focus Group -Use of Key Words and Phrases ...... 77

10 Focus Group and Delphi Study - Median Scores of Skills and Dispositions ...... 92

11 Focus Group - Median Scores of Knowledge-Based skills and Dispositions by gender of practitioner ...... 109

Figure

Research Process ...... 41

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER I

THE STUDY

Statement of the Problem

It is a perception that schools today are experiencing more and more discipline

problems. Curwin and Mendler (1998) suggest “that most Gallup polls in the last decade

have rated “discipline” at or near the top of public concern regarding its schools . . . (p.

115). It is reported that students are coming to schools with higher levels of aggression

and hostility. Numerous societal factors may attribute to this phenomenon, such as

changing family structures, violence in society, and effects of the media. Nonetheless,

schools must be prepared to handle these aggressive and hostile students in an effective

manner.

Traditionally, the role of managing these students and their behavior falls to the

assistant principals. Therefore, the need to possess sound disciplinary skills is imperative

to the success of assistant principals. Among their numerous tasks is the job of

appropriately handling aggressive behavior while securing a safe environment in which

all students can learn. This is becoming more difficult everyday with such factors as

public scrutiny, increased legal considerations, increased school violence and cut-backs

in school funding.

It is not surprising that fewer individuals are looking to become assistant

principals. According to a report by the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL)

(2000), the problem lies not so much in the number of certified individuals qualified as

school administrators, but in the lack of desire of individuals to hold the position. This

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. same study lists a number of reasons for the lack of interest such as, “compensation too

low considering the responsibilities of the principal’s jo b ... intense job stress, excessive

time requirements, difficulty of satisfying parents and community members, and social

problems that make it hard to focus on instructional issues” (p. 6). This is especially true

at the secondary level where larger student bodies result in increased responsibilities.

Add to this the fact that more than 37 percent of principals were over the age of 50 by the

1993-94 school year (IEL, 2000) and are by now ready to retire, and the problem is

intensified.

This lack of desire to be an administrator is especially of concern for those

entering the world of secondary administration by way of the assistant principalship.

According to The Principal, Keystone o f a High-Achieving School: Attracting and

Keeping the Leaders We Need, conducted by the ERS (Educational Research Service),

there is currently a “widespread shortage of qualified principals” (2000, p.2). In an

additional study by this same government-sponsored agency, a shortage of qualified

candidates to fill the principal and assistant principal positions open within the last year

was reported by superintendents surveyed across the nation. Fifty percent of these

superintendents reported a shortage of candidates. “The need for school administrators

will increase by 10 to 20 percent in the next five years,” the Institute of Educational

Leadership concluded (2000, p.3). To date, the employment opportunity page of the

MASSP (Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals) runs for six to seven

pages of job postings in Michigan, compared to one page a few years ago.

According to a report developed by the National Association of Secondary School

Principals (NASSP), “To a great number of adults and young people who populate our

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. secondary school communities, the assistant principal is the person who really runs the

school” (1970, p.l). The importance of competent assistant principals is stated by

numerous researchers in the field of education such as Richard, 2000; Austin & Brown,

1970; and Kelly, 1987. From an additional point of view, Kelly (1987) offers the

following:

Anyone who has worked for any time at all in secondary schools knows that assistant principals in fact carry out most of the duties and responsibilities attributed to the principalship. Yet, in literature on secondary school administration few books or articles make even passing reference to the assistant principal. The assistant principal in the Rodney Dangerfield of the teaching profession - he or she doesn’t get much respect (p. 13).

The literature tells us that assistant principals look after the daily operations of the

school, allowing the principal to act as the instructional leader (Kelly, 1987 and Richard,

2000). Daily operations encompass everything from the safety of staff and students to

the serving of balanced lunches. Therefore, with so much of how the school operates and

maintains daily order dependent on the skills of the assistant principal, it is clear how

important that role is.

In order to counter the trend of decreased interest among educators in becoming

assistant principals, we must consider the needs of the secondary assistant principal. A

special concern for the needs of women lies in the disproportionately small number of

females serving as secondary assistant principals. Although the gap between the number

of male and female assistant principals is closing, it is doing so slowly. In order to

appropriately handle the increased responsibilities of the position, balance family roles,

and establish a supportive climate at school, sufficient training and education for male

and female assistant principals is a must.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Research Topic

As an educator and a female, I have observed with interest the role of

disciplinarian that the secondary administrator must assume. As a participant in the

training of future teachers, I have observed with interest the various methods of

preparation used to make ready future assistant principals in their role as disciplinarian.

Since 98.7 percent of principals taught before becoming principals (U.S. Department of

Education, 1993) training future teachers equates to teaching future administrators.

Surprisingly, little is known about which of the skills and dispositions of assistant

principals enable them to carry out disciplinary tasks most effectively. The absence of

this knowledge makes it difficult to identify individuals well or poorly suited to be

assistant principals, and equally difficult to provide training that prepares them to do this

task well.

Consequently, the purpose of this study is to identify a set of key skills and

dispositions thought to be needed by assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians.

Secondly, this study will identify if males and females require different skills and

dispositions for their personal success as assistant principals. And, if males and females

have different opinions about the skills and dispositions they consider the most important

for personal success as assistant principals. For the purposes of this effort, the term “key

skill” refers to actions or activities an assistant principal must be able to perform to be an

effective disciplinarian; the term “key dispositions” refers to values or beliefs an assistant

principal must hold and act upon to be an effective disciplinarian.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Student’s Need for Discipline

Although discipline is literally defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary as,

“strict control to enforce obedience” (1988, p. 391). Discipline in today’s schools

encompasses much more. Today’s discipline includes keeping students on task, molding

their social behavior, and monitoring their interactions with other students and adults. In

short, redirecting and refocusing their attention to appropriate matters. Krajewski,

Martinek and Polka’s study polled high school teachers to discover the following:

Regarding discipline, high school teachers report that not completing assignments (78 percent), absences (57 percent), cheating (47percent), inappropriate classroom behavior (45 percent), and skipping classes (41 percent) are the most frequently observed discipline problems; while attacks on teachers (2 percent), stealing via force or threat or weapon (2 percent), racial fights (6 percent), carrying weapons (7 percent), and sexual activity (8 percent), are the least frequently observed discipline problems (1998, p. 1)

According to Curwin and Mendler, there are a number of factors that influence a

child and his or her need for discipline in our schools. Violence in society, effects of the

media, “me” generation mentality, and lack of a secure family environment and difficult

temperaments of children (1998) are a number of outside influences that have a direct

impact on a student’s need for discipline. Jackson Toby offers up another factor that

impacts student discipline, the “civil rights revolution” (1998, p. 5). He defines this

revolution as one that allows students and parents a much broader realm of redress where

student discipline is involved. The rules and regulations put into place by the court

systems have not only changed the process by which a student may be reprimanded for

offenses, but have introduced greater due-process protections for students at risk of 10

day or more suspensions or expulsions.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. These individual issues may be linked to the overall school climate as well.

Research has provided examples of schools where tremendous odds have been overcome

to create a safe, effective learning environment in the face of adversity. These schools

share one common factor: a positive school climate. A positive school climate, as

identified by Grossnickle and Sesko (1985) includes focusing on a democratic

environment, fostering positive behavior that build students’ self-confidence and self-

worth, learning in an orderly non-threatening environment, and allowing students to live

in a self-disciplined environment. These elements are achieved by fostering personal

relationships with staff and students. In short, an environment where all feel a self-worth

in a safe, educationally sound surrounding.

As Wayson and Pinnell explain, “When discipline problems occur in school, they

can more often be traced to dysfunctions in the interpersonal climate and organizational

patterns of the school than to malfunctions in the individual” (1982, p. 117). Therefore,

school climate, including interpersonal relationships, may affect the student’s motivation

and thereby affect the need for individual discipline.

There are also a number of factors within the schools that affect discipline.

Student boredom, feelings of powerlessness, unclear limits, lack of outlets for feelings

and attack on their personal dignity are identified areas in school that affect the need for

discipline by Curwin and Mendler (1998). Toby (1998) also identifies intimidated

teachers as an internal factor affecting discipline. Considering the fact that women

teachers far outnumber male teachers, this intimidation factor can be easily perpetuated

by males. This combination of external and internal factors make the disciplining of

students a much more complex issue than in generations past.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Current Trends in Discipline and Classroom Management

Alternative theories for understanding how student behavior may be linked to

discipline issues are seen in a number of popular models in education today. Researchers

such as Erik Erikson (1963) and Rudolf Dreikurs (1972) have developed theories based

on stages of development and children seeking to fulfill personal goals. William Glasser

(1985) offers a popular model based on similar goals or needs that must be met in order

for students to be successful. Stanley Coopersmith (1967) focuses on student’s self

esteem as a factor that leads to discipline issues. Others, such as Joan Lipsitz (1984),

Martin Seligman (1995)and David Elkind (1981), offer similar explanations and models

for effective discipline. Harry Wong (1998), Curwin & Mendler (1998), and Jim Fay

(1995) are but a few theorists whose popular models are used in classrooms today. Yet,

regardless of the theory or model offered, all agree discipline is a major concern for

educators today.

There are also a number of alarming facts concerning discipline trends today. In a

study recently conducted by Claiborne it was discovered that Blacks are disciplined

proportionally more often for the same offenses than whites and with more severe

consequences (1999, p. 3). Similar statistics hold true for Hispanic and Native American

cultures. According to Crystal Kuykendall, a prominent African American educator,

“Black and Hispanic youth are suspended from schools at a rate three times that of their

White counterparts” (1992, p. xiii). This is particularly serious in that the U.S Census

Bureau estimates that the U.S. population will be 30 percent Black and Hispanic by the

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. year 2020 (1990). These statistics must be considered when addressing the issue of

schools and discipline.

It has also been proven that males “receive harsher punishment than girls even for

the same or a similar offense” (Mid-Atlantic Equity Center (1993, p. 5). This notion is

confirmed by Sadker & Sadker: “so pervasive is the concern over male misbehavior that

even when a boy and a girl are involved in an identical infraction of the rules the male is

more likely to get the penalty” (1994, p. 201). According to Alice Baumgartner-

Papageorgiou in her study, “My Daddy Might have Loved “because Me," they are more

aggressive, males receive far more reprimands from teachers than do females... teacher

reprimands have the positive effect of making males the center of attention” (1982, p. 3).

Even though being reprimanded is a negative, this negative connotation is balanced by

the fact that boys receive more attention, and thereby more encouragement to achieve.

The Mid-Atlantic Equity Center (1993) concludes that “Males receive harsher

punishment than girls even for the same or similar offense” (p. 5). These males not only

receive more attention through reprimands, but, as identified by Sadker & Sadker, the

male students who could potentially “undermine her (teacher) authority and throw the

class into turmoil. . . “determined where she walked, whom she questioned, and even

how the room was arranged and where students sat” (1994, p. 202).

How Male and Female Administrators Relate to Discipline and the Role of Principal

Effective assistant principals wear many different hats in a day. Most of these

hats involve discipline and the management of the study body. In a study of the role of

assistant principals, Alan Richard (2000, p.l) came to the following conclusion:

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Suspensions, expulsions, scoldings: For many assistant principals, a large part of the day is spent as police officer, prosecutor, and judge as a seemingly endless line of sullen teenagers forms outside the office door. It may be the toughest job in American education, an often-thankless position that places heavy demands on those who take it..

As suggested by Peterson (1999, p.l), “An hour has upwards of 50-60 separate

interactions with students, parents, custodians, and teachers.” Many of these interactions

are a direct result of discipline-related issues. With so much of the school day depending

on management and the exercise of discipline by principals and assistant principals, it is

important to identify how individuals react in these situations. When this is combined

with the fact that “most of the shortcomings and mistakes school administrators make fall

into the category of poor human relations” (Bulach, 1998, p.l), a question of

preparedness for the job must be asked.

There are considerably fewer female assistant principals at the secondary level

than males. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational

Research and Improvement, in 1994 only 13.8 percent of secondary principals were

female. This number is up from the 9.4 percent reported in 1988. For each of the years

between 1988 and 1994, “the proportion of new public school principals who were

women was greater than the overall proportion of female principals” (U.S. Dept, of

Education, 1997, p. 8). According to that same report, almost 52 percent of new public

school principals (both elementary and secondary combined) were women in 1994. This

is especially important to females when we consider the fact that “women comprise well

over half of the teaching workforce” (United States Department of Education, 1994, p. 1)

and “nearly all principals,” 98.7 percent, “were teachers before becoming principals”

(United States Department of Education, 1993, p.l)

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The assistant principal’s role is a complex one with increasing duties and

responsibilities. Some of those duties and responsibilities may be found in a recent

survey conducted prior to a Principal’s Leadership Summit held in Washington D.C. in

July, 2000. It revealed the following five reasons as why relatively few people are

seeking to become principals:

♦ The changing demands of the job, including increased accountability, responsibility

for raising students to high standards without adequate support, and legal and special

education issues.

♦ Salary

♦ Time

♦ Lack of parent and community support, negativity of the media reports, and lack of

sympathy with schools

♦ Lack of respect

This report is indicative of numerous studies concerning the role of assistant

principals and principals. These additional stress factors traditionally complicate a

woman’s role as administrator to an even greater extent than in the case of her male

counterparts. Oftentimes, these additional stresses must be coupled with the

traditional female roles found within the family structure, such as child bearing and

household chores traditionally performed by the females. In a study conducted by

Karen Goeller, she contends that “The female principals shared a perception that

home and family responsibility is a top stressor in their careers” (1995, p. 112).

Conversely, males did not find home and family responsibilities as a component of

their “stressor list.” In yet another study of female administrators, Kathryn Whitaker

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. and Kenneth Lane (1990) suggest that “in many cases, women still must choose

between career and family in a manner that most men do not” (p. 13 Thus, women

appear to continue to accept the traditional stresses of family caregiver, as well as

accepting the stresses identified with assistant principal roles. Zanville (2001) found

that for women leaders “a larger proportion perceived that they had a steeper climb to

success due to discrimination and conflicts between personal and workplace life”

(p. 7).

Another factor contributing to the “steeper climb” of women to success in the

role of assistant principal is the perception that women make inferior school

administrators. In Alena Easton’s study she made the statement, “a woman’s

opportunities for earning administrative positions are influence by the perceptions of

her as a woman and not as a worthy candidate” (1996, p. 7). Other researchers

confirm this theory of female candidates being judged on her feminine qualities such

as caregiver and nurturer and less on her leadership skills (Shakeshaft, Nowell &

Perry 1992; & Schmuck, 1975). This may account for the reason found by Whitaker

and Lane (1990) as to why males continue to dominate the ranks of secondary

administrators. They suggest that although males and females claim females are

more suited than males for the role of school administration, current principals

continue to recommend males for administrative positions over women.

Therefore, the information gained from this study will help assistant

principals, especially females, to understand the expectations of dealing with

students, teachers and parents when administering discipline. The insight gained from

exploring the relationship between discipline and the expectations of the job will be

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. helpful in building relationships and making assistant principals more effective in

their role.

Much literature explores classroom discipline and gender, but little exists on

the components of discipline and the gender of the administrator. Since assistant

principals represent a higher level of authority than classroom teachers in discipline

matters, it is important to offer information that may help prospective female assistant

principals be more effective in this area. We must become sensitive to the fact that

more women are teachers and if they are to be prepared to enter the world of school

administration to fill the coming shortage we must become aware of issues facing

them By making females (and males) aware of the way assistant principals do their

job and communicate with students, teachers and parents, we may encourage a greater

number of teachers to become assistant principals and achieve greater success in these

positions.

Rationale for the Study

It is the purpose of this study to identify a set of key skills and dispositions needed

by secondary school assistant principals to function as effective disciplinarians. This is

done by exploring the perceptions of experts and practitioners, both male and female,

concerning their ideas on the skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals at the

secondary level to be successful disciplinarians.

The results of this research are expected to be useful in a variety of contexts. For

example, this study has the potential to guide recruitment, assessment and curriculum

development activities in schools of education. The results are likely to be similarly of

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. value in the design and dissemination of in-service training for current assistant principals

that seek to improve their effectiveness as a disciplinarian.

The results also have the potential to be of use for individuals considering a career

as an assistant principal. Knowledge of the required skills and dispositions may assist

such individuals in accomplishing a more realistic self-assessment of whether they are

well-suited for secondary school administration. This, in turn, will lead to a more

prepared and successful pool of assistant principals.

Additionally, the results may be of use to assistant principals currently in the

workforce who want or improve their effectiveness as a disciplinarian. Awareness of the

key skills and dispositions may prove of value as these assistant principals develop

personal improvement plans and strategies to strengthen areas where they have skill or

dispositional deficits. By identifying these skills and dispositions important to success,

assistant principals may find direction for improvement, thereby increasing the potential

for longevity in a traditionally volatile position.

The information provided by this study may also be used as a tool in re-defining

the role of the assistant principal at the secondary level. By redefining the role to reflect

current practices, those currently serving as assistant principals or considering becoming

assistant principals may become better prepared to accept the responsibilities of the

position. This, in turn, may create a better understanding of the contributions assistant

principals make to the secondary administrative system.

Finally, this study will also serve to further illuminate some reasons for the gender

disparities that remain in secondary public school administration. As the gender gap in

school administration slowly begins to close, more information and education concerning

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. male and female skills and dispositions may be helpful in identifying differences in

gender perceptions. Information about whether there are differences in the specific skills

and dispositions considered important by male and female assistant principals will be

valuable in unraveling what role gender perceptions play in career paths, promotion

patterns, and levels of compensation. This may serve as a catalyst to promote gender

equity at all levels in the cycle of education. Girls attending school, and teachers

considering a career in school administration, will observe more role models, thereby

increasing the overall feminine interest.

Organization of Subsequent Chapters

Chapter I introduces the topic of the skills and dispositions necessary for the

success of assistant principals at the secondary level. It also includes a discussion of the

issues surrounding discipline matters in schools today. These issues are explored partly

in light of the assistant principal’s gender. The initial chapter explaines the problem that

may be found in not having assistant principals who are prepared for their numerous

duties. This problem may be exacerbated where the assistant principal is female. The

research questions, type of research, definitions, methodology, assumption and

limitations, as well as the proposed instruments for data collection are presented.

Chapter II reviews the literature related to discipline and administrative roles at

the secondary level. It is presented in three parts:

■ discipline methods and theories

■ roles and responsibilities of the principals who administer the discipline

■ women and school administration

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Although little research relates directly to the issue of assistant principals, gender and

discipline, inferences may be drawn from more general literature concerning each of

these topics. Books, journal articles, dissertations and other pertinent materials relating

to the nature of secondary school discipline are cited.

Chapter III describes the methodology of the study. The research questions are

stated concerning the skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals to be effective

disciplinarians. Original data was collected from educational experts and assistant

principal practitioners to answer the research questions. A Delphi questionnaire was

drawn based on the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)

professional standards for administrators and administrator training programs. The

results from this questionnaire were used as a basis for discussion in focus groups of

current administrators. Procedures for the study, as well as the approach to the data

analysis, were discussed.

Chapter IV reports the results of the study. Presentation of the data from both the

questionnaire and the focus groups is made. Data analysis provided through the use of

Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Ethnograph is reported.

Chapter V provides the study’s findings and provides its conclusions. The

importance of the skills and dispositions necessary for success are presented. The

relationship of data collected on males and females is also discussed. In addition, the

skills and dispositions deemed important by practicing assistant principals are articulated.

Recommendations and suggestions for further study are also included.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

This section contains a survey of related books, journal articles, dissertations and

other pertinent materials relating to the nature of this study. The materials represent a

comprehensive investigation of the literature regarding discipline in schools and the roles

and responsibilities of the assistant principal, characteristics of effective school leaders,

characteristics of effective school discipline, and gender issues in school administration.

This review will be used to help answer the following questions. What are the skills and

dispositions assistant principals need to be effective disciplinarians? Do males and

females require different skills and dispositions for their personal success as assistant

principals? And, do males and females have different opinions about the skills and

dispositions they consider the most important for success in their role as disciplinarian?

The literature review will be presented in four sections. First, the roles and

responsibilities of assistant principals will be explored. Second, the characteristics that

define an effective school discipline model will be reviewed. Third, a review of studies

defining the characteristics of effective school leaders will be delineated. Finally, an

examination of materials relating to women and school administration will be examined.

Roles and Responsibilities of Assistant Principals

When speaking to the role of assistant principals, Alan Richard makes the

following claim: “It may be the toughest job in American education, an often-thankless

position that places heavy demands on those who take it, while rewarding them with only

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. a few thousand dollars more a year-or even less-than the highest-paid teachers” (2000,

p.45). Then why, one might ask, would anyone want to be an assistant principal?

Richard goes on in his study of assistant principals around the country and their duties to

say, “it can also be among the profession’s most challenging-and rewarding” (p.45). By

examining the roles and responsibilities of assistant principals, a better understanding of

this statement may emerge.

In 1988 Pellicer conducted a study for the NASSP (National Association of

Secondary School Principals) analyzing the roles and responsibilities of assistant

principals in secondary schools. Findings from two studies, one in 1965 and one in 1987,

were used. Undoubtedly, schools have changed dramatically between the years of 1965

and 1987, but remarkably enough, the roles and responsibilities of assistant principals in

secondary schools did not. Discipline only declined one percent in importance from 1965

to 1987. It was both the number one priority and consumption of time for assistant

principals. Discipline has been, and continues to be, the greatest responsibility for

assistant principals. The major difference between these two studies was the number of

tasks performed by assistant principals. As supported by recent research, discipline

remained the top ranked category of responsibility for assistant principals with ever

increasing duties being added to the list of responsibilities.

Barbara Barger (1998) conducted a study identifying the dilemmas novice

assistant principals encounter when working with discipline. Through interviews with

novice assistant principals, she discovered a major skill needed to successfully handle

discipline was the skill of negotiation. Barger concluded that successful assistant

principals must negotiate in many different areas. These negotiations are combined with

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. other major tasks such as “maintaining order and responding to student disorder" (1998,

p.9). This maintaining of discipline requires constant supervision of students that often

manifests itself in “dilemmas.” These dilemmas are what cause assistant principals to

“see school as a place for probable and predictable disruptions” (p. 95). According to

Barger,

assistant principals appeared to accept roles of maintainer of stability and predictor of unrest while they actively functioned during their However, day. struggles with issues of right and wrong, equity and fairness, and what was really best for students emerged more clearly when they reflected on their practice... Indeed, their attempts to maintain a sense of calm and patience in the midst of constant chaos were characteristic of a tightrope walker or circus juggler, (p. 106)

Possibly one of the greatest challenges is to solve “dilemmas” (Barger, 1998)

while maintaining the continuous flow of daily routines. “The schedule, the budget, the

process of education,” Peterson observes, (1991, p. 2), are all issues that must be

addressed on a continuous, daily basis. Therefore, one’s personal disposition and how

flexible one is, may be considered a desirable trait to posses in the role of assistant

principal. The ability to multi task must also be coupled with this flexible nature to

ensure success and the ability to attend to the daily dilemmas associated with running a

school.

The first area of negotiation, according to Barger, is the need to negotiate for time

to work with students, often delegating required obligations to the weekends or after

school hours. This can often be an area of great stress for assistant principals.

Respondents found it frustrating not to be able to help students when dealing with such

issues as cultural differences, changing family structures, and complicated relationships.

When considering the amount of time devoted to working with students, assistant

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. principals felt frustrated not being able to make a true difference. The need for assistant

principals to understand society and its role in shaping young adults is imperative.

The next area of negotiation can be found when dealing with parents of

disciplined students. Respondents in the study conducted by Barger “felt frustrated when

parents defended or denied their children’s deviant behavior” (p. 101). Tension and

stress were identified as by-products of handling emotional family conflicts. Parental

support was deemed essential when attempting to change students behavior, rather than

just administering punishment. Therefore, the need for parents to trust the assistant

principal and communicate effectively is significant in determining success as a

disciplinarian.

Additional expectations associated with the role of assistant principals include

ensuring that students accept rules, behave in mature ways, and graduate. The duty of

molding student character while modeling acceptable adult behavior falls to the assistant

principal. All this while being supportive of students, teachers, parents, principals and

school boards. To the frustration of many assistant principals, “in the center of

controversial issues and conflicting demands, assistants find themselves ultimately

satisfying no one” (p. 101). Consequently, an assistant principal’s sense of duty and

loyalty need to be negotiated.

The last area of negotiation is found in the individual’s concept of justice and

moral values. Traditionally, the idea of discipline must be considered in the framework

of firm, fair, and consistent punishment. Although this may seem like an easy enough

task, Barger concluded it is far from easy. “Expectations to be firm, fair, and consistent

are often negotiated by novice assistants in an effort to apply their personal values to

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. individual student situations; thus dilemmas are bom” (1998, p. 123). Assistant

principals struggle with a balance of following the school policies and their own sense of

justice. In trying to be fair, “assistants strove to enact equity - being fair but unequal”

(1998, p. 126) in the disciplinary process.

In a column prepared by Dr. Kent Peterson (1999), the reality of what principals

actually DO in a day is explored. Peterson stresses the need to balance the tasks of

leading and managing to ensure success for today’s assistant principals. This, of course,

must be accomplished while attending to “upwards of 50 - 60 separate interactions with

students, parents, custodians and teachers... in an hour” (p. 1). To that end, an assistant

principal needs the ability to make quick decisions and maintain personal composure

while doing so.

In their attempt to lead and manage, assistant principals exhibit a variety of skills

and dispositions. They must confront problems on social, cognitive and emotional bases.

They are considered the “central problem solvers of the school” (Peterson, 1999, p.2) and

are constantly distracted by various types of dilemmas. “’We’re intervening in crises all

the time,”’ (Richard, 2000, p. 45) comments Mike Donnell, Assistant Principal of

Hingham High School in Hingham, Mass. He goes on to say, “’Everybody wants the

assistant principal to fix it’” (p. 46). As author Alan Richard found when he shadowed

Mike Donnell for a day, the assistant principal is continually pulled in all directions by

those needing his or her assistance. Therefore, an assistant principal must not only be a

quick thinker, but also an effective problem solver.

Assistant principals must balance such management skills with the art of

leadership. In school and community leading assistant principals are charged with

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. motivating students, staff and parents. Building a strong school community is often cited

when discussing the issue of schools and violence. Yet in order to build this strong

community, the assistant principal must motivate all members of the community to do

their personal best.

Because of this enormous task, assistant principals are never truly “off the clock.”

When considering the responsibilities of the assistant principal it is important to

remember, “the job of assistant principals reaches far beyond the school office, into the

community, and into the lives of their own families” (Richard, 2000, p. 47). Many of the

duties of assistant principals such as sporting activities, extracurricular activities,

meetings and conferences are conducted outside of the school day. The Institute for

Educational Leadership thus emphasized that a principal’s role in the community is

“manifested in a big-picture awareness of the school’s role in society” (2000, p. 4). This

responsibility leads to individuals being seen as role models who are looked to in setting

the climate for these types of activities, as well as overall school climate. These hectic

schedules demand that assistant principals be dedicated to their positions. The need to

balance personal and professional life becomes paramount.

In a study by Hartzell, Williams, and Nelson (1995) the role of the assistant

principal was found to be made more complex due to the desire of practitioners to be

educational leaders; yet, the overwhelming number of daily responsibilities associated

with student discipline prevented this from happening. Many practitioners express

frustration over their desire to be viewed as educational leaders and not just

disciplinarians. However, due to the amount of time the discipline process often takes,

tasks associated with being an educational leader are often put on the back burner. The

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. expectations that assistant principals maintain discipline and order in the school while

simultaneously being educational leaders can be a grueling task.

Naturally, if a responsibility of the position is to be considered a leader and

manager, human relation skills are imperative. In a study by Bulach, Boothe, and Pickett

(1997) poor human relations were cited as the cause of most of the shortcomings and

mistakes made by educational leaders such as assistant principals. Skills, such as lack of

trust and an uncaring attitude, were mentioned as examples of poor human relations.

Snap judgments and failure to follow through were also mentioned as skills associated

with this trait.

The study goes on to claim that poor human relation skills are the number one

predictor of failure for those in the role of principal. Such skills are important because

discipline is often the main focus of an assistant principal’s day. On top of almost every

assistant principal’s list of responsibilities is discipline (Richard, 2000, p. 1). As Richard

suggests, an assistant principal must become a “police officer, prosecutor, and judge” (p.

1) in his or her role as disciplinarian. As suggested by Crowe, the role of assistant

principal focuses “primarily on monitoring student conduct” (1998, p.74). Marshall

(1992) agrees that secondary school assistant principal’s primary duties are student

discipline and attendance. The assistant principal’s role as disciplinarian may be summed

up nicely by an observation made by assistant principals Grossnickle & Sesko

Consider the diverse characteristics of a disciplinarian. Certainly, the job description call for a man/woman for all seasons: prosecutor, judge, jury, defense attorney, counselor, peacemaker, teacher of teachers, problem solver, detective, humanitarian, and first and foremost, a champion of order and control for school and classroom (1985, p. 41)

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Understandably, this type of responsibility can be overwhelming at times. Says

Frank Sesko, author of “The Complex Role of Discipline in our Schools” and a retired

assistant principal,

In the years that I served as disciplinarian, I saw many a good administrator back down under the weight of district pressure on issues the administrators felt were important. I have seen these same administrators lose their effectiveness while teachers came to look on them as mere shadows of the support they once were. I have seen others who torment themselves as they try to provide the proper support of teachers, knowing M l well that each time they make a tough decision and mete out stem discipline, they fact the prospect of having their superiors reverse their decisions to accommodate parents who are bound and determined to have the consequences for the own child’s misbehavior minimized. (1999, p. 119)

Sesko’s observation identifies another trait assistant principals must possess: that of

having strong personal convictions they are prepared to defend. Many assistant

principals seem to be confined to a situation where they are expected to make tough

decisions concerning disciplinary actions; yet they often lack the ability to see them

through. Principals, superintendents and school boards all have the authority to overturn

an assistant principal’s decision. As Frank Sesko discusses in his article, “The complex

role of discipline in our schools” (1999), this often leads to assistant principals adopting a

less-than-honest approach to disciplining students. If the end result of a tough decision is

reversal by superiors, one begins to routinely make “safe” decisions rather than “right”

decisions.

Sesko’s remedy for the cycle created by reversing assistant principal’s decisions

on a regular basis is a revision of the disciplinary policies. He suggests principals,

superintendents and school boards take a long, hard look at their disciplinary policies and

if they are unwilling to support such policies, change them. Assistant principals deserve

a set of policies that support them. This would eliminate the undermining of authority

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. that comes from continually reversing the decisions assistant principals make. And by

creating fair and equitable policies for discipline, greater respect for both the assistant

principals and the disciplinary process will occur.

Yet another issues linked to the delivery of discipline for assistant principals is the

need to be consistent. Assistant principals lose the respect of all concerned, teachers,

students, parents and peers, when favoritism is shown during the discipline process. By

setting different rules for different students, such as athletes or children of extremely

vocal parents, the message of a weak leader is portrayed. Sesko (1999) suggests that in

some cases “disciplinarians are also at fault” (p. 2) in creating the system of inequity.

This highlights the need for fair and consistent individuals to fill the role of assistant

principal. Yet unfortunately, some districts claim “assistant principals who want to hold

firm to discipline policies are seen as liabilities” (p. 2).

A summary of many of the skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals is

found in “How to Select a Good Assistant Principal,” published to assist in the search for

qualified individuals to fill the role of assistant principal. Holman determines that key

qualities of effective assistant principals include: “organizational skills; dependability; a

strong work ethic; effective problem-solving skills; leadership skills; written

communication skills; the capability to absorb brief explanations and learn quickly; and

respect and regard for others” (1997, p. 26).

The assistant principal’s role is a complex one with increasing duties and

responsibilities. The assistant principal must possess a variety of skills such as being a

good negotiator, the ability to be consistent and balance multiple tasks at once. The

number one responsibility of assistant principals continues to be discipline.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Schoolwide Discipline

According to Rosen, there is “very little theory and unfortunately very little

research” (1997, p.2) on schoolwide discipline, or student management. Rosen continues

by asserting that the current expertise relates to discipline at the classroom level rather

than to schoolwide concepts. Schoolwide discipline methods differ from classroom

methods in that they focus on the total operation of the school rather than single

classrooms. Jones and Jones (2001) believe that schoolwide discipline or management

plans must be in place before effective classroom management can occur. Schoolwide

management plans are considered “essential ingredients” (Jones & Jones, p. 417) in

managing individual classrooms. Echoing the ideas of Jones & Jones, Alderman sums up

this theory by offering, “Good discipline is a school is reciprocal: Classroom control

makes schoolwide discipline more effective, and sound schoolwide practices make

classroom discipline more effective” (2000, p. 21). This concept of classroom

management and discipline as an essential element of effective schoolwide discipline is

shared by numerous others such as Weinstein (2003), Harding (2000), Grossnickle &

Sesko (1985) and Curwin & Mendler (1998).

Because schoolwide management plans are so important to the overall behavior

and discipline of students, and so little information is currently available, one must

consider who would be the most logical “experts” in the area of schoolwide discipline or

management. While identifying the best practices in school discipline, Rosen found that

“The best experts in the areas of schoolwide discipline are the practicing school

administrators” (1997, p.2). Because assistant principals usually deal with discipline

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. issues from all areas and grade levels of the school, they are best prepared to make

schoolwide observations concerning overall behavior of students.

In order to understand the importance of schoolwide discipline or management a

look at the elements of successful plans must be considered. Rosen (1997) found that an

effective schoolwide management plan is dependent upon those in charge of maintaining

order and discipline. His definition of a controlled or well-managed school is when

• students are where they are supposed to be at any given hour of the school day.

• there are few interruptions of class time.

• the campus is clean and free of graffiti.

• campus visitors are screened and required to wear a visitor’s badge.

• Communication devices are visible and readily available.

• Supervisory personnel are visible.

• Students, teacher, and administrators have a good working relationship.

Yet another opinion on what makes an effective schoolwide management plan

comes from Grossnickle & Sesko (1985), both of whom were assistant principals when

offering their observations. Their suggestions are viewed as commitments to the

following concepts:

• Mutual respect among students and staff

• Regard for the dignity of each person in the school

• Established standards and expectations to guide student conduct in classroom and

other areas of the school

• Commitment from every member of the school staff to support and enforce the

discipline expectations and procedures established

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. • Effective instructional management and classroom control.

The authors add that these concepts must be adhered to in a “firm, consistent, and

continuous” (1985, p.l) manner in order to ensure a well-managed schoolwide discipline

plan.

Richard Curwin and Allen Mendler (1998) have created an approach to

schoolwide discipline entitled Discipline with Dignity. The basis for Curwin and

Mendler’s theory begins with a Three-Dimensional Discipline approach. This is

summarized as:

• Prevention - preventing problems before they become disruptive

• Action - what can be done after misbehavior occurs

• Resolution - what plans can be made for the prevention of future misbehavior

with the out-of-control student

Each of the three dimensions Curwin and Mendler offer as a basis for student

management (prevention, action, and resolution) must maintain the dignity of the

individual student in order to be successful.

In expanding on Curwin & Mendler’s theory of a three dimensional approach to

student management, Rosenberg (1997) has created the PAR approach (Prevention,

Action and Resolutions) in addressing schoolwide discipline issues. His data

substantiates a reduction in office referrals and suspensions ranging form 10 to 55 percent

in schools adopting his model of schoolwide discipline management. He also found a

reduction in teacher absenteeism and an improvement in teachers’ and students’

perceptions of school climate after initiating the PAR approach.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. According to the literature, there are some common elements needed to ensure

success of schoolwide methods and plans. Elements such as being firm, fair and

consistent are reflected throughout the theories of effective schoolwide management

plans. Positive relationships also appear as a reoccurring theme in the development of

successful schoolwide discipline. Authors such as Harding (2000), Alderman (2000), and

Weinstein (2003) repeatedly emphasize the need for positive relationships between

teacher, students and administrators as a major component of a successful schoolwide

discipline plan. Communication is another element often referred to as an essential

component of successful schoolwide discipline plans (Weinstein, (2003), Grossnickle &

Sesko (1985), Harding (2000), Jones & Jones (2001) and Alderman (2000).

In summary, research on schoolwide discipline plans is minimal. Effective

schoolwide plans start with effective classroom plans. Elements such as respect; being

firm, fair and consistent; and fostering positive relationships contribute to the success of

schoolwide discipline plans.

Management

When examining the role of assistant principals and discipline, one must consider

the skills and dispositions needed to perform successfully. To that end, an examination

of literature describing successful management should prove helpful.

One source that may summarize the skills and dispositions needed for assistant

principals to be successful is the standards established by NCATE (the National Council

for Accreditation of Teacher Education) for the Advanced Educational Leadership

Program. This is the guideline used by colleges and universities in developing

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. curriculum to meet the needs of individuals studying to become school administrators.

NCATE has developed its standards by identifying specific areas of leadership necessary

for administrators to be successful leaders. They include instructional, organizational,

strategic, and political and community leadership skills. Within each of these leadership

categories a number of specific skills and dispositions are listed as necessary for success.

The following are examples of specific skills and dispositions found in the NCATE

standards.

• Create with teachers, parents and students a positive school culture that promotes

learning.

• Apply the principles of student growth and development to the learning environment

and the educational program.

• Develop with the counseling and teaching staff a full program of student advisement,

counseling, and guidance services.

• Develop and administer policies that provide a safe school environment and promote

student health and welfare.

In a study conducted by Stephen Davis (1998) an attempt was made to define

effective leadership within the educational environment. To that end, Davis took into

account existing literature on leadership and school administrators. He found there are

three ways of evaluating the effectiveness of school leaders. The first method of

evaluating an effective school leader is to consider the personal attributes the person

brings to the table such as intelligence, motivation, ability to seek assistance from others

and honesty.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The next measurement tool suggested by Davis (1998) is the examination of the

behaviors of effective leaders. This encompasses such behaviors as being:

♦ good communicators

♦ decisive, organized, efficient and task oriented managers

♦ facilitators of a positive school culture

♦ advocates of high expectations for staff and students

♦ promoters of effective instruction

♦ visionaries

The final measurement tool used to evaluate effective leadership can be found in

comparing the leader’s behavior with outcomes. Such items as test scores, dropout rates,

grade point averages, and suspension or expulsion rates can be used as outcome

measurements. However, these outcome measurements may be difficult to directly link to

administrative leadership, as numerous factors may skew the results of the measurements.

Items such as lack of staff, parent support, and funding may have a direct impact on

student achievement measured by scores and grades.

Davis goes on to highlight the importance of personal relationships when

assessing the effectiveness of school leaders. Due to the highly political and complex

environments schools have become, Davis states that “if a principal can’t sustain positive

relationships, he or she probably won’t do the other things important to the school

particularly well either” (1998, p.4). Davis lends support to this idea by way of his

survey of superintendents identifying poor interpersonal skills as the number one reason

principals lose their jobs. Others such as Terry Alderman (2000) and Dennis Harding

(2000) list personal relationships as a major component of successful school discipline.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Personal relationship building is also credited as a major skill or disposition

essential to the success of leaders outside the realm of education. Such leaders in the

management literature as Mark McCormack (1984), Harvey Mackay (1993), Drucker

(1994) and John Maxwell (1998) all agree that building personal relationships is a

desirable management skill. Maxwell identifies the concept of building and maintaining

relationships as “The Law of Connection.” Maxwell suggests, “A key to connecting with

others is recognizing that even in a group, you have to relate to people as individuals”

(1998, p. 103).

Gender and School Administration

The relationship of gender and school administration is not a new concern for

educators. Much attention has been paid to women in their roles as school

administrators, e.g., as assistant principals. A large portion of the research deals with

women and their unique issues concerning administrative roles and leadership styles. In

this review, the issue of gender imbalance and theories surrounding it will be reviewed.

Issues dealing with the networking, career and family will also be discussed. Along with

this, a discussion concerning the perceptions of women and their management styles,

including the importance of nurturing, personal relationships and communication.

Currently males considerably outnumber females as secondary administrators.

This fact is often reported as a major focus in the literature exploring the role of females

in secondary administration. The proportion of women entering and remaining in

secondary principal roles, as compared to men, seems to have driven the majority of

literature concerning women and school administration. To fully explore the skills and

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. dispositions needed by assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians, one must

consider the rationale behind the imbalance of women to men in the position.

Balance in the number of women who serve as principals and the levels to which

they aspire is an area where the literature seems abundant. Proportionally, women hold a

much smaller percentage of school administrative positions than men; yet, ironically they

comprise the greatest percentage of teachers. Fiskel and Pottker (1974) noted the dismal

number of women in administration during the mid-1970’s. They noted that 19 percent

of all men in elementary education and 8 percent of men in secondary education are

principals. In contrast, they reported only 1 percent of all women in elementary

education and .4 percent of all women in secondary education are principals. As time

went by, apparent increases in the number of women as administrators became evident.

Thus in 1984, women constituted 87% of the nation’s elementary teachers, 57% of its

intermediate teachers, and 52% of its secondary teachers and they now hold 18% of the

public school principalships” (Grant and Martin, 1990, p.l). This number represented

the combined ranks of elementary and secondary women principals, with women holding

considerably fewer secondary administrative positions.

By 1991 the proportion of women administrators seemed better. According to the

National Center for Education Statistics (1994) women serving as principals in public

schools increased to 30 percent. Yet one must consider these statistics carefully. This

increase reflects the relatively large increase in elementary and combined school

principals. Elementary school principals increased from about 30% to 37%, while

combined school principals increased from 22 percent to 31 percent (National Center for

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Education Statistics, 1994). Increasing numbers of women at the elementary and

combined level seem more acceptable.

Studies in the nineties supported the conclusion that the number of women

serving as principals in the secondary schools did not fare as well. Women looking to the

secondary level were still struggling as “women aspiring to be principals at the

elementary level were more likely to succeed than those at the secondary level” (Dunlop

and Schmuck, 1995, p. 38). According to Carol Shakeshaft (1992) in 1978 “women

comprised 46% of secondary teachers; yet only 7 percent of secondary school principals

were women” (p. 15). The findings stayed consistent; “in secondary schools there was no

change from the 1987-88 school year to the 1990-91 school year. The proportion of

women principals remained at about 10 percent, which was lower than the proportion in

either elementary or combined schools” (National Center for Education Statistics, 1994,

p.2).

This information might logically bring one to ask why are there so few women in

educational administration, especially at the secondary level? The literature suggests a

host of theories to explain the gender imbalance in secondary school administration. One

theory is the lack of qualified women as potential candidates. The data suggests

otherwise. Women are preparing themselves academically for leadership roles at a much

higher rate than the hiring ratio suggests. In 1977,72% of Bachelor of Education

Degrees, 66% of Master’s of Education Degrees and 35% of Doctoral Degrees in

Education were awarded to women (Haven, 1980). During that same era, “women held

only 12.7 percent of public school principalships and less than 1 percent of school

superintendencies. Assuming women are seeking administrative positions through the

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. traditional path of teacher, assistant principal, principal than central office or

superintendency, the assumption may be made that less women are being hired than men

for administrative positions that lead to the superintendency. This assumes women are

applying for positions of leadership once they have earned the degrees that qualify them

for such positions. A point to consider may be that women are satisfied with their

teaching positions and do not wish to become administrators even if they are qualified to

do so. Or women may be applying for positions not associated with the traditional path

of administrative leadership, i.e., central office positions such as curriculum director or

personnel director.

A theory commonly cited for the imbalance of women in school administration is

the lack of networking or mentoring for women. This contributes to females being hired

for positions currently held by women nearly half the time, but only being hired for

positions currently held by men thirteen percent of the time (Schmuck, Carter & Carlson,

1981). Additional theories, such as conflicts between career and family are also offered

as an explanation for the sparse number of female administrators at the secondary level.

Whitaker and Lane found “in many cases, women still must choose between career and

family in a manner that most men do not” (1990, p.13).

Females are socialized to find success by nurturing, according to Whitaker &

Lane (1990), while males need professional success to fulfill the same needs. This is

supported by the findings of Shakeshaft (1991) who supports the idea that gender affects

supervisory style and outcomes. Females expressed more care about matters concerning

children, while males expressed more care about matters concerning administrative

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. duties. This may lead to females being more committed to the issue of discipline since it

is considered a non-administrative type of role.

The discussion of females in secondary administration points to a number of

administrative tasks and attributes that females perceivably perform well. Fishel and

Pottker (1977) conducted a study examining the perceptions of males and females

concerning their administrative tasks and personal attributes. Their findings showed that

female principals generally were perceived to perform more capably than male principals

on identified administrative tasks and personal attributes. Women generally ranked

themselves higher in areas identified as needed to be a successful school administrator.

In comparison, a similar study conducted by Easton (1996) offered similar

findings. She found that practicing male and female administrators differ on how they

rank certain administrative tasks and personal attributes. The most significant perceived

differences were found in the area of self-rating personal attributes. The personal

attributes of communication, confidentiality, motivation, knowledge, and current on

educational trends were all ranked significantly higher by females than males. These

authors concluded that women find these attributes more important to their job

performance than males.

Bales (2001) contends that female administrative leaders rely heavily on their

ability to establish such positive personal relationships. She sites trust and cooperation

as the foundation of effective leadership for women. Bales discovered that female school

administrators find it more important than males to establish personal relationships and to

value individuals. Numerous other studies have identified feminine management styles

as those that perceivably value relationships (Claes, 1999, Bales, 2001, Davis, 1998).

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Positive relationships are a common thread found in many measurements of effective

school leadership.

The administrative gender role, as it relates to discipline at the secondary level, is

relatively unexplored territory. Linda Gist (1995) completed a study of discipline

practices and how the gender of the principal and student affects the outcomes. In her

study she noted a number of gender-related findings.

• Female principals of elementary schools use counseling practices more

than male principals.

• Female principals of elementary schools contact parents more frequently

than male principals concerning discipline issues.

• Male principals use corporal punishment more than female principals at

the elementary level.

Gist defined the use of counseling practices as a discipline measure that includes

communicating with students through verbal exchanges rather than simply punishing the

student. By the very nature of this discipline measure, certain personal attributes, such as

caring and the desire to build relationships with students, are essential.

Gist also finds that female administrators communicate more readily during the

discipline process than males. By contacting parents more frequently, females exhibited

their need to communicate and collaborate on disciplinary issues. The males’ use of

corporal punishment more often than females also lends itself to the notion of males

seeking less communication and more action than females. But Gist’s study only

researched primary school students and their administrators. Similar issues will be

explored at the secondary level in this study.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Summary of Literature Review

The role of assistant principal is a complex and often difficult one. Assistant

principals are called upon to wear many hats throughout the course of a school day. They

must possess a host of skills and dispositions to be effective school leaders. Excellent

human relation skills, problem solving skills, the ability to multi-task and maintaining a

fair, consistent approach to disciplining students are but a few of the skills needed by

these individuals.

Possessing the noted skills does not automatically predict success for the assistant

principal. One must consider personal attributes, behaviors and examination of behaviors

when compared to school outcomes, to predict accurately the success of these school

leaders. Many skills needed by assistant principals, such as the ability to build and

maintain personal relationships, correlate with skills needed by successful managers

outside the scope of education as well.

Successful assistant principals use their personal skills and dispositions to build

schoolwide discipline or management models. Although the literature reviewing

schoolwide discipline models, as opposed to classroom management models, is

somewhat sparse, numerous authors agree on several elements of successful models.

Those elements include the importance of building personal relationships with students

and teachers; administering firm, fair, and consistent discipline; and effective

communication between all involved in the discipline process. By identifying the skills

and dispositions needed by assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians, this study

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. attempts to bring together and clarify the perceptions of those individuals associated with

the assistant principal and discipline.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER in

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This study began by using the Delphi Method of collecting information from a

group of experts. A sample representing the following groups was selected: assistant

principals, principals, superintendents, professors and other professionals with expertise

in the area of assistant principals and discipline. The group included both male and

female representatives in each category. The members of the group were asked to

identify skills and dispositions they felt were important for assistant principals during the

discipline process. These responses were collated, creating a list of identified skills and

disposition needed by assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians. These identified

skills and dispositions were returned to participants for importance ranking.

This ranked list of skills and dispositions were then used as an introductory

activity in two focus groups of current assistant principals, one male and one female.

The focus groups provided insights from practitioners concerning the skills and

dispositions needed jointly, and by each gender, for successful handling of discipline

issues.

Research Questions

This study is directed toward answering the following questions:

1. What are the skills and dispositions assistant principals need to be effective

disciplinarians?

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2. Do males and females require different skills and dispositions for their personal

success as assistant principals?

3. Do males and females have different opinions about the skills and dispositions they

consider the most important for success in their role as disciplinarian?

Methodology / Type of Research

This research was conducted to confirm and expand the perceptions of the role of

assistant principals in secondary education. The two direct methodologies - the Delphi

Method and focus groups - were used to confirm existing notions and generate new

information and insights to lay a foundation that may ultimately lead to the development

of testable hypotheses on this topic.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The following flow chart (Figure 1) provides an illustration of the research process:

RESEARCH PROCESS

FIGURE 1

List of skills and Ranking of dispositions importance of skills generated by and experts dispositions by exnerts

Review of list of skills and dispositions by focus groups

Female focus group of Male focus group of assistant principals assistant principals reviews skills and reviews skills and dispositions and dispositions and provides perceptions provides perceptions

Final analysis and reporting of data

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Delphi Study

The Delphi Method was used to generate the initial set of key skills and

dispositions. By using the Delphi Method the opinions of numerous individuals

associated with the assistant principalship and discipline could be brought together. The

perceptions of those currently in the position of assistant principal, those having trained

the assistant principals, those working with the assistant principals, and those evaluating

the performance of the assistant principals could be heard. The objective of this approach

was the reliable and creative exploration of ideas or the production of suitable

information for decision-making. The method was based on a structured process for

collecting and distilling knowledge from a group of experts using a series of

questionnaires interspersed with controlled opinion feedback (Adler and Zigilio, 1996).

Helmer (1977) notes that the Delphi Method provides a useful communication device

among a group of experts and thus facilitates the formation of a group judgment.

The Delphi method has been widely used to generate forecasts in technology,

education, and other fields (Cornish, 1977). According to Wissema (1982), this method

was developed to make discussion between experts possible without encouraging certain

social interactive behaviors that typically occur during a normal group discussion. These

interactive behaviors, such as bullying or opinion altering to conform to peer pressure,

may be detrimental to opinion formation. The Delphi method eliminated this possibility.

According to Dawson and Brucker (2001), “One of the most important

considerations when carrying out a Delphi study is selecting the panel of experts" (p.

127). Dawson and Brucker (2001) also suggest that randomization is not needed or

appropriate in a Delphi study. In this study, experts who are experienced assistant

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. principals, principals, superintendents, professors, or members of other professions with

expertise in assistant principals’ disciplinary roles were enlisted to serve on the Delphi

panel. The panel included both male and female representatives. For the current study,

Delphi method participants were drawn from individuals around the state of Michigan

who were identified by professors at Grand Valley State University as having expertise

about administrative roles in secondary schools. Professors were asked to nominate

individuals they viewed as successful professionals in the educational domain. A

challenge was finding assistant principals willing to invest the time outside of their

workday needed to allow completion of the data. Panel members were charged with

identifying the skills and dispositions they viewed as important for assistant principals

during the discipline process.

These individuals were contacted by mail or telephone and recruited for

participation in the study. The Delphi panel members were recruited to represent several

categories of educational practice and leadership, with at least three panelists from each

group, including assistant principals, principals, superintendents, various professionals

with knowledge of secondary administration, and professors of education in colleges and

universities.

Panelists were initially contacted by a letter from the researcher explaining the

nature and purpose of the study. This letter included a description of the time

commitment involved and an explanation that completion of two tasks (listing and

ranking), separated in time by several weeks, would be a part of their contribution.

Follow-up by telephone calls were made by the researcher to reach potential panel

members who did not respond to mailed invitation by the deadline. The final panel was

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. assembled after an affirmative response was secured from a sufficient number of

individuals to accomplish the work (n=16).

After the final panel was assembled, the task of the Delphi panelists was to

generate a ranked list of specific skills and dispositions necessary for assistant principals

to be effective disciplinarians. The first survey sent to the Delphi participants was Survey

1 (Attachment 3). This initial tool was created using the categories suggested by NCATE

(National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) Advanced Educational

Leadership Program. These categories reflect the areas NCATE views as essential to the

effective training of future administrators. They include the following leadership types:

strategic, instructional, organizational, and political/community. A final category was

included to list any additional skills and dispositions participants felt were needed but did

not fit into the listed leadership categories. A definition, summarized from information

provided by NCATE, was provided for each leadership category.

The request for responses was broken down into four sub-categories: strategic

leadership, instructional leadership, organizational leadership, and political and

community leadership as suggested by NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of

Teacher Education). Categories were identified by NCATE as standards designed to

measure preparedness for principals in the K-12 programs. Beginning in the 2003 school

year, new standards will be offered by NCATE for the preparation of school

administrators, including assistant principals. However, NCATE standards listed for the

2001-2002 school year were used in this study as the potential participants have come

from programs not yet under the new standards. Examples of specific skills and

dispositions were offered under each category. For example, on Survey I, the first

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. leadership category developed from NCATE standards is STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP.

Examples of such items as effective management skills, competent evaluation skills, and

belief in inclusiveness, were given to help define the category. Room for additional

comments was also provided.

Since assistant principals are educational leaders, using the NCATE standards

identified as indicates what educational leaders need to learn from a college curriculum in

order to be prepared for a principal, or assistant principal, position is fitting. To further

expand this method of thinking, discipline and the disciplinary process has been

identified as a major component of the assistant principal’s roles and responsibilities.

Therefore, using NCATE standards as a framework for discussion of the skills and

dispositions necessary for success of school administrators in the area of discipline is a

logical progression.

Survey 1 was piloted with a group of professors in the School of Education at

Grand Valley State University. Several suggestions were given concerning the physical

layout of the survey and to that end, several small changes were made to the appearance

of the document. Other suggestions were made to clarify the survey, instructions and

definitions of terms. Changes were made to reflect these suggestions.

The list of participants for the Delphi Study was compiled from suggestions made

by professors at Grand Valley State University and the researcher’s personal knowledge

of experts in the field of secondary education. A letter, Survey 1 (Attachments land 2),

and Informed Consent Statement, were sent to sixteen subjects outlining the two-fold

commitment involved with the study. Experts from the following categories were

represented: 3 principals, 3 assistant principals, 3 superintendents, 4 other professionals,

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. and 3 college professors. Nine male and seven female subjects were invited to

participate.

A request was made to return Survey 1 within fifteen days. It was also stated that

a telephone call would be made to answer any questions. Seven surveys were received

before the deadline. Telephone calls were placed to those who had not responded.

Fourteen of the original surveys were returned, with one principal and one other

professional choosing not to respond.

Responses collected from Survey 1 were compiled to create a list of skills and

dispositions the participants of the Delphi Study deemed important to be successful

disciplinarians. Terms with similar meanings were combined using the most frequently

stated language. Many skills and dispositions were reported numerous times. Those

skills reported by more than four participants were as follows:

• empowering students

• informed on current practice and research

• knowledge of age group’s need and learning styles

• collaborative

• informed and able to implement district, state, federal policies

• know influential individuals (politically savvy)

Those dispositions reported by more than four participants were as follows:

• good listener

• sincere, compassionate and understanding

• communicator

• organized

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. • consistent

A list of skills and dispositions was compiled using the input from Survey 1.

Survey 2 (Attachment 4) was created in the same style as Survey 1, but using the

responses provided by participants in each of the leadership categories. Survey 2 was sent

to all individuals who had completed Survey 1, along with a letter of explanation

(Attachment 5). Participants were asked to rank-order the skills and dispositions in each

leadership category according to importance. The purpose of Survey 2 was to confirm

the list of skills and dispositions created by the panel and rank order their importance.

This list, divided into the established subcategories and formatted as Survey 2,

was redistributed to the same panelists for rank ordering. If a like skill or disposition was

reported in more than one of the leadership categories it was placed in the leadership

category most often reported. Participants ordered the listed skills and dispositions

according to their relative importance. These individual ranks were aggregated to create

an ordered list of skills and dispositions within each NCATE category, ranging from

those perceived by the panel as ranking highest in importance in terms of being an

effective disciplinarian to those ranking lowest. It should be noted that even skills and

dispositions ranked lower in this process may be of interest, especially if differences

between the highest and lowest ranked items are small.

A request was made to list the top five to ten overall skills or dispositions the

panel felt are required for assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians. Comments

were also requested on whether male and female assistant principals need different skills

or dispositions to be successful.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Fourteen copies of Survey 2 were mailed, representing all participants who

responded to Survey 1. Telephone calls or emails were used to prompt responses from

those who did not respond within fifteen days. Ten copies were returned and used for

data analysis (n=10). The respondents consisted of six females and four males. Two

superintendents, one other professional, and one assistant principal did not respond.

Table 1 illustrates the current positions of the respondents.

TABLE 1 - Delphi Study

Positions held by Participants

TITLE TOTAL NUMBER MALES FEMALES

Assistant principal 2 0 2 Principal 2 1 1 Superintendent 1 1 0 College Professor 3 1 2 Other Professional 2 1 1

Focus Groups

The ranked list of skills and dispositions created through the Delphi Study was

used to create the script and prompts for use in the two focus groups. One focus group

was comprised of female assistant principals, the other, of male assistant principals. The

focus group process was used to gain insight into participant’s perceptions concerning the

skills and dispositions they most need to successfully handle disciplinary issues.

Invitations to participate in a focus group designed to discuss the skills and

dispositions needed by assistant principals were sent to practitioners in the greater Grand

Rapids area (Attachment 6). Thirty-one invitations were sent to male assistant principals

and fifteen invitations were sent to female assistant principals. Participants for the focus

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. groups of assistant principals were selected using the Michigan Education Directory.

published by the Department of Education, State of Michigan, and from a geographical

area conducive to accessing the research area. Male participants were chosen by

geographical location, with representatives from the five closest districts to the Grand

Valley State University downtown campus receiving invitations resulting in a stratified

random sampling. All male assistant principals at the high school level in these five

districts received invitations resulting in the thirty-one invitations sent.

Due to the small number of female assistant principals in the area, all female

assistant principals, both middle and high school level from an approximate 50 mile

radius, were invited to participate. Since secondary education is considered 7th through

12th grade, female middle school assistant principals were included due to the small

number of female assistant principals serving at the high school level in the greater Grand

Rapids area. The female middle school assistant principals participating in this study

represented large schools with very similar duties and responsibilities as the males who

represented the high school assistant principals. Support of the research and participation

in the focus groups was advocated by a local superintendent of a large public school

district resulting in numerous participants from this district agreeing to participate in the

focus groups.

Arrangements were secured to facilitate the focus groups in a centrally located

school districts’ conference room. Phone calls and emails were placed to those invited to

participate prior to the scheduled date of the focus groups. A phone script (Attachment?)

was used to guide conversation. One female subject could not participate in the focus

group due to a prior commitment but requested participation in the written survey to be

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. collected during the focus group session. A copy of Survey 2 for Focus Groups was sent

via mail and promptly returned.

Three females participated in the focus group, all from the same large school

district. This number represents a small sample of female assistant principals due to the

disproportionately small number of female to male assistant principals in the area. All

participants were assistant principals at the middle school level, representing various

grades from 6 -1 2 . All participants signed copies of the consent form and responded to

Survey 2 for Focus Groups (Attachment 9).

Thirteen males participated in the focus group; all but one were from the same

large school district. Twelve of the male participants were assistant principals from the

high school level, one participant was an assistant principal from the middle school level.

All signed copies of the consent form and responded to Survey 2 for Focus Groups

(Attachment 9).

The participants in the focus groups were given the list of skills and dispositions,

ranked by importance using the categories identified in the Delphi Study. Focus group

participants then ordered the list using their own knowledge and experiences as personal

references in the decision making process. This exercise served to offer additional data at

the ordinal level and as an introductory activity for the focus group discussions. Focus

group participants were then prompted to discuss the skills and dispositions identified by

the Delphi panel.

These focus groups discussed the ranked skill and disposition set created by the

experts on the Delphi panel. The use of focus groups facilitated the open discussion of

needed skills and dispositions with immediate feedback from peers. The use of gender

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. specific focus groups facilitated an exploration of whether males and females have

different perspectives and opinions on the skills and dispositions needed to be an

effective disciplinarian in secondary schools.

According to Rubin & Rubin (1995), a focus group is used to “call together

several people to talk about a concern held by the researcher.. .”(139). This format

allowed practitioners to offer opinions and to have those opinions expanded on by peers.

The concern examined here was the assistant principal’s reactions to the list of skills and

dispositions developed by the Delphi panel experts. The participants were encouraged to

provide examples from their personal experiences regarding the skills and dispositions

under discussion. Participants were also encouraged to share their views on whether the

skills and dispositions set provided by the experts comports with the skills and

dispositions they view as of greatest importance. The following questions were used as

prompts when necessary:

1. What are the skills and dispositions assistant principals need to be effective

disciplinarians?

2. Do males and females require different skills and dispositions for their personal

success as assistant principals?

An additional question was indirectly answered based on the comparison of the results

from the male and female focus groups.

3. Do males and females have different opinions about the skills and dispositions they

consider the most important for success in their role as disciplinarian?

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Each focus group session lasted one hour. Each session was video-recorded to

supply data concerning both audio and physical responses and facilitate the transcribing

of data. Transcripts were created using the video-recorded data

Ethnograph software was used to record and analyze data obtained during these

focus groups. The role of the researcher was that of group facilitator, generating

responses from the assistant principals as to their perceptions of the skills and traits

needed for successful discipline. These responses were entered into Ethnograph.

Ethnograph was then used to identify repetitive words and phrases associated with

assistant principals and discipline.

Ethnograph was then used to identify repetitive and significant words and phrases.

The combined approach of using quantitative and qualitative data addresses the

danger of excluding social-emotional responses and behaviors during data collection.

Van de Ven (1974) found that the absence of such social-emotional opportunities inhibits

verbal clarification of the respondent’s ideas. By soliciting information first from a group

of anonymous participants, and then following up with a group of face-to-face

participants, this study allows for use of both data collection formats.

Operational Definitions

To facilitate a clear discussion, the following terms used throughout this study

will be defined. The term “skills” or “key skills” refers to actions or activities an

assistant principal must be able to perform. The term “dispositions” or “key dispositions”

refers to the beliefs or values an assistant principal must hold and act upon to be an

effective assistant principal. This term must be viewed in conjunction with the

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. individual’s personality traits and characteristics as it pertains to their role as assistant

principal.

The term “administrator” refers to individuals in leadership roles within the

structure of the school such as assistant principals, principals, assistant superintendents,

and superintendents. For the purpose of this study, discussion will be limited to

administrators within the school building and not those in central office. When referring

to secondary administrators, the limits are set for those in grades eight through twelve.

The term “effective discipline” refers to methods employed in secondary schools

that are successful in producing desirable traits and patterns in individual students, groups

of students or the student body as a whole (Duke, 1989). Desirable traits and patterns

are those traits that fit into the confines of established rules and contribute to a positive

school climate.

Assumptions

Several assumptions underlie this research. The first is that the assistant

principals are the individuals most often assigned responsibility for school-wide

discipline in America’s public secondary schools. An assumption that more males than

females would be available for this study as supported by the literature was made. It was

also assumed that helping assistant principals in this role is important. Additionally, an

assumption was made that middle school assistant principals (those serving grades six

through eight) would possess the same knowledge and needs as those serving grades nine

through twelve. A fourth assumption was made that assistant principals are actively

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. involved in interpersonal relationships as a direct result of their disciplinary

responsibilities.

An assumption was also made that the Delphi panelists were familiar enough with

the actual experiences of secondary assistant principals to provide valid and reliable

information about the skills and dispositions this position requires. Finally, underlying

the entire methodology was the assumption that participants in both the Delphi panel and

the focus groups would share a common understanding of the terms “skills,”

“dispositions,” and “effective discipline” as they are used in this research.

Limitations

A limitation inherently present in the collection of this data is the

underepresentation currently of female assistant principals in this study. Statistically,

females represent a much smaller proportion of secondary assistant principals; therefore,

the pool of participants would reflect this imbalance. A limitation also found with

subject selection was the identification of panelists and participants. The starting point

for selecting Delphi panelists, as well as focus group participants, was the circle of

professional educators known to the researcher. To the extent that the individuals known,

in turn, to this relatively small circle of professionals is unique, the results of this study

are not representative or generalizable to the field at large.

This research has limited generalizability because all of its participants were

drawn from a specific geographic region of the United States, namely West Michigan.

This research also has limited generalizability due to the small number of female

participants. Every attempt was made to increase the number of female participants but

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. reflective of the norm, there were limited numbers of females to serve as participants.

Since the purpose of this study was to create a deeper understanding of assistant

principals and the discipline process, consideration must also be given to the people,

schools, time, and norms when taking into account limitations. Therefore, this study

represents a particular group of participants, from a particular area, at a particular time.

A researcher bias may also be present due to the gender of the researcher. The

researcher refrained from any sharing of opinions with the focus group so as to avoid

communicating personal biases to the group. The role of facilitator would be only as

observer and leader.

Data Analysis Methods

Data from the ranking of skills and dispositions was collected at the ordinal level.

Data was analyzed by assigning scores to ranks using SPSS software. A table of each

skill and disposition was created listing the median and interquartile ranges of each. Data

was reported separately for each group of participants (Delphi or focus group) and again

by gender.

The data collected from the focus groups was analyzed using qualitative methods.

Ethnograph version 5.0 software was used to assist in the coding of information.

Ethnograph was also used to enter and analyze data collected from the focus groups.

Themes and patterns in the data were sought as a means of aggregating this information.

Phrases and repetitive words were coded and analyzed as to their usage in the focus

group setting. “Family trees” were created to reflect the four categories of skills and

dispositions as identified by NCATE to assist in data analysis. In addition, the data was

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. analyzed to determine whether the information provided by male and female assistant

principals differed in any important way.

Instrument

To make the task of generating and ranking skills and dispositions easier for

Delphi panelists, Survey 1 (Attachment 3) and Survey 2 (Attachment 4) instruments were

designed. Survey 1 includes brief instructions, definitions of terms used, and four

overarching skill and disposition categories adapted from the NCATE (National Council

for Accreditation of Teacher Education) standards for curriculum, as reflected in

Educational Leadership Program Standards for colleges and universities. These

categories are: Strategic Leadership, Instructional Leadership, Organizational

Leadership, and Political and Community Leadership. These four categories were

transformed by NCATE into standards against which to measure principal preparation.

The initial data collected from the Delphi panel was aggregated and compiled into

a list of skills and dispositions considered necessary for assistant principals in the

disciplinary process. This aggregated list was used to create Survey 2 (Attachment 4).

Survey 2 includes brief instructions and the list of skills and dispositions. This

instrument was given to each Delphi panel member, to be used as the basis for rank

ordering the skills and dispositions by importance.

According to Delecq, Van de Ven, and Gustafson (1975), the two-stage

questionnaire approach constitutes an acceptable modification to the traditional Delphi

process. Such a two-stage approach may legitimately be used when “a final vote is not

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. needed and clarification is not important” (106). Thus, this Delphi panel completed its

work with the completion of Survey 2.

Following this step, the two focus groups were conducted. In this research, the

focus of the group’s work was the members’ perceptions of, reactions to, and additions or

deletions to the list of skills and dispositions developed by the Delphi panel. Therefore,

the actual development of the questions and leading remarks for the focus groups were

dependent upon the information collected from the Delphi panel.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER IV

FINDINGS

The purpose of this study is to identify a set of key skills and dispositions needed

by secondary school assistant principals to function as effective disciplinarians. This

chapter reviews and presents an analysis of data collected by two methods: a two-step

Delphi-Study using experts in the field of educational leadership and focus groups of

assistant principals currently employed at the secondary education level.

The first section of this chapter provides a description of data collected from the

Delphi Study. The second section provides information on the data collected from the

two focus groups, one conducted with male and one with female subjects.

Delphi Study

Delphi Study participants were asked to complete Survey 1 (Attachment 3) which

called for identification of the skills and dispositions needed for assistant principals to be

effective disciplinarians and return to researcher. Similar skills and dispositions were

combined with others with the same meanings resulting in the final list used for Survey 2.

These were the skills and dispositions used to create Survey 2 and the second stage of the

Delphi Study. Survey 2 was returned to participants for rank-ordering and additional

comments.

SPSS was used to analyze the quantitative data. For each of the skills and

dispositions listed, a frequency table was created, listing the mean, median and

interquartile range of the ratings. The mean was used to allow for precise ordering of

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. responses in order to create Survey 2 for use with Focus Groups. Data was confirmed for

accurate entry into SPSS by the Statistics Department at Grand Valley State University.

The median and interquartile range were listed for each skill or disposition found in

Survey 2.

Table 2 below lists the skills and dispositions reported by participants as the most

important skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals to be effective

disciplinarians. The skills and dispositions are reported in alphabetical order in each of

the leadership categories. This allows for easy comparison of individual skills and

dispositions with results from the focus groups found later in this study. The lowest

median and mean scores represent the most needed skills and dispositions as identified by

participants.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. .75 1.50 3.25 5.50 7.75 6.75 1.00 2.75 5.50 2.25 6.50 6.75 6.75 4.50 2.50 4.50 7.50 2.50 7.50 2.50 7.00 3.50 6.00 3.75 5.50 5.50 8.50 6.00 5.00 3.50 MEDIAN MALE MALEIQR 8.25 6.25 1.25 9.00 3.254.00 7.00 3.75 5.00 3.75 2.00 4.25 3.75 2.004.25 4.00 7.50 3.00 3.75 FEMALE 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.00 2.00 5.505.00 6.507.00 4.75 5.00 5.75 5.00 7.00 5.50 6.50 8.50 5.50 2.50 4.25 9.50 5.50 5.00 3.50 4.25 7.50 5.00 4.00 6.00 MEDIAN 7.00 3.00 5.75 3.75 4.50 IQ R FEMALE IQ R ALL 3.50 3.50 3.006.50 8.25 4.00 7.00 5.007.50 5.50 3.75 5.00 3.50 4.00 7.50 3.75 6.50 2.50 9.00 1.25 8.00 6.25 5.00 7.00 4.00 6.00 1.75 5.00 5.00 3.25 4.00 4.25 4.002.50 5.25 4.50 2.50 MEDIAN ALL Skills / Dispositions Needed Assistantfor Principals to be Effective Disciplinarians dispositions) and skills needed the most represent scores median (Lowest TABLE 2 - Delphi Study- Survey 2 Responses Visible in classrooms, hallways and activities and hallways Visible classrooms, in Visionary Knowledge strategies discipline Knowledge ofassessment/ styles needs/ learning Knowledge of group age minded Open Empower students Empower Informed of current research/ practice research/ ofcurrent Informed Creative Ethical Connect discipline concepts to board/ staff goals staff board/ to concepts discipline Connect Sincere, compassionate, and understanding and compassionate, Sincere, INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP Goal/ task/ oriented (prioritize and delegate) and (prioritize oriented task/ Goal/ (seeks advise of others) listener Good straightforward trustworthy/ Honest/ expectations instructional and behavioral Model of philosophy Possess discipline a defined Calm (able to handle difficult people) difficult to handle (able Calm Decision maker STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP Knowledge of community Knowledgedemographics ofcommunity solver Problem o

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Assist teachers with class management & 3.50 4.50 5.50 5.25 3.00 3.75 discipline 4.00 3.50 5.50 4.75 3.50 1.75 Be available (open door policy) 4.00 4.25 3.00 2.75 6.50 5.50 Committed 3.00 6.00 3.00 5.25 2.00 5.75 Communicator 10.00 1.25 9.50 2.00 10.00 .75 Computer/ technology skills 5.00 3.25 4.50 4.00 5.00 3.75 Follow through 6.50 3.25 6.50 5.00 6.50 2.50 Foster student/ parent/ teacher participation 9.00 3.50 9.00 3.50 8.00 7.25 Hiring of staff 7.50 3.50 7.50 4.00 7.00 4.25 Know and promote school safety 4.00 3.25 3.50 2.75 4.50 4.75 Organized

MEDIANIQR FEMALE IQR MALE IQ R ALL ALL MEDIAN FEMALE MEDIAN MALE POLITICAL & COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

Active in extra-curricular/ community programs 5.00 5.25 5.50 5.00 4.00 6.00 Align programs/ policies with community values 3.50 3.50 4.00 5.00 3.00 3.75 Collaborative/ team player/ consensus builder 5.00 2.50 5.00 3.25 5.00 2.25 Courageous 7.50 2.25 8.00 2.75 6.50 4.75 Diversity sensitivity 6.00 4.25 3.50 5.00 6.50 2.50 Establish positive school climate 2.00 3.00 1.50 3.25 2.50 4.75 Know, implement, district/state/ fed policies 5.50 6.50 5.50 6.25 7.00 8.25 Know community members politically savvy 10.00 2.25 10.00 2.00 9.00 5.00 Open school to community 7.00 6.00 8.00 6.50 8.50 7.50 Sensitive 8.50 5.25 8.00 6.25 10.00 8.50 Tough skinned 9.00 5.00 5.00 4.50 7.50 8.00 5.25 5.75 7.25 6.00 9.00 2.50 5.50 9.50 8.25 1.25 4.50 4.50 5.00 10.00 5.75 3.503.756.25 7.00 6.006.507.755.00 3.00 4.50 9.50 4.50 4.50 5.50 6.25 4.75 3.504.50 2.50 6.25 2.75 6.50 6.00 7.00 3.00 9.50 4.00 5.50 8.50 3.25 7.00 3.25 3.25 6.00 8.50 3.50 4.25 9.00 2.75 1.50 6.504.75 8.00 6.00 6.50 n=10 Sense of humor humor ofSense 9.50 Fair Fair Flexible 2.00 9.50 OTHER SKILLS &DISPOSITIONS Confidence Consistent Firm dedicated Passionate/ Proactive Respectful taker Risk 6.00 6.50 5.00 6.50 2.00 6.50 9.50 Ability to reflect and correct correct and Ability reflect to stable Emotionally 7-00 6.50 Os

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The above skills and dispositions were reported as being the most important skills

and dispositions needed by assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians. Those with

the lowest median scores reflect the most needed skills and dispositions as identified by

participants.

The skills and dispositions listed in Table 3 were rated with a larger range of

numbers than other skills and dispositions, suggesting participants were in less agreement

as to their importance. Participants gave these skills and dispositions rankings of

importance from 1 to 12. The skills and dispositions with a interquartile range greater

than 6.00 are listed in the following table (Table 3), indicating those with the least

amount of agreement by participants.

TABLE 3 - Delphi Study

Skills & Dispositions with Interquartile Range of 6.00 or Greater

LEADERSHIP CATEGORY SKILL / DISPOSITION INTERQUARTILE RANGE Strategic Leadership Model behavioral and instructional 6.25 expectations Instructional Leadership Informed of current research/practice 7.00

Instructional Leadership Visible in classroom, hallways, and 8.25 activities Political & Community Know, implement and support 6.50 Leadership district/ state/ federal policies Political & Community Open school to community 6.00 Leadership Other Skills & Dispositions Emotionally stable 8.50

Other Skills & Dispositions Flexible 6.50

Other Skills & Dispositions Proactive 6.00

Other Skills & Dispositions Respectful 6.00

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Frequency tables listing the median, and interquartile range were also created

separately for male and female respondents. Table 4 represents the responses with a 3.00

or greater difference in the median score between responses from males and females.

The following skills and dispositions are those with the greatest difference in ranking as

to their importance by males and females.

TABLE 4 - Delphi Study

Responses by Gender with Median Score Differences 3.00 or Greater

LEADERSHIP SKILL/DISPOSITION FEMALE MALE CATEGORY MEDIAN MEDIAN Strategic Leadership Goal/ task/ oriented 7.50 4.00

Strategic Leadership Good listener (seeks advise of 5.00 2.00 others) Strategic Leadership Model behavioral and 5.00 8.50 instructional expectations Instructional Leadership Knowledge of age group needs/ 5.00 2.00 learning styles Organizational Leadership Committed 3.00 6.50

Political & Community Diversity sensitivity 3.50 6.50 Leadership Other Skills & Dispositions Emotionally stable 3.00 9.00

Other Skills & Dispositions Fair 1.50 4.50

Other Skills & Dispositions Proactive 8.50 2.50

In summary, these are the items men and women view the most differently when

listing the importance of skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals.

An additional data request from participants in Survey 2 of the Delphi Study was

the listing of the top five to ten overall skills and dispositions they viewed as necessary

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. for assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians. These skills and dispositions were

not confined to leadership categories, but were the top ranked skills and dispositions

across all leadership categories. Table 5 lists the overall skills and dispositions with a

frequency of more than one.

TABLE 5 - Delphi Study

Frequency of Responses to Delphi Study Top Ten Requested Skills/Dispositions

LEADERSHIP SKILL/ DISPOSITION FREQUENCY CATEGORY Other Skills & Dispositions Consistent 5

Other Skills & Dispositions Fair 5

Strategic Leadership Honest/ trustworthy/ straightforward 4

Other Skills & Dispositions Firm 3

Organizational Leadership Communicator 3

Instructional Leadership Ethical 2

Instructional Leadership Informed of current research/ practice 2

Organizational Leadership Committed 2

Other Skills & Dispositions Respectful 2

Political & Community Establish positive school climate 2 Leadership Political & Community Know, implement and support district/ 2 Leadership state/ federal policies Strategic Leadership Sincere, compassionate and 2 understanding Strategic Leadership Good listener 2

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The items listed above represent the most commonly reported skills and

dispositions by participants when asked to list the top ten, overall, most important skills

and dispositions. This information eliminates the confines created by asking participants

to rank-order the importance of skills and dispositions listed in each of the leadership

categories. The overall most important skills and dispositions listed by participants,

absent of the leadership categories, does not consistently reflect the top choices indicated

in each leadership category. The following skills and dispositions were ranked first and

second choices in importance in individual leadership categories, but were not listed as

top ten overall skills and dispositions needed when participants were asked to list choices

absent of leadership categories. Some of the listed skills and dispositions represent a

multiple tie in their place of first or second most important skill or disposition.

• Possess a defined philosophy of discipline

• Problem solver

• Knowledge of age group needs/learning styles

• Visible in classroom

• Assist teachers with class management and discipline

• Align programs / policies with community values

Conversely, there were a number of skills and dispositions listed by Delphi

participants as a top ten overall choice of needed skills, yet failed to be identified as a

first or second choice within their perspective leadership categories.

• Sincere

• Compassionate and understanding

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ♦ Informed o f current research / practice

♦ Committed

♦ Know, implement, support district / state / federal policies

♦ Firm

• Respectful

The final information requested on Survey 2 of the Delphi Study was for

participants to comment on whether they thought male and female assistant principals

need different skills and dispositions to be successful disciplinarians. Responses to this

request were offered by three males and four females.

Male Responses

The male responses were as follows:

• Males need to avoid being “macho” and always leave an out. Females do this and are less likely to back a student into a physical confrontation comer. • Gender should not matter, but based on the person’s personality and the community attitude, gender could have an effect. • Great administrator is dictated by the qualities of the individual, not gender.

Female Responses

The females’ responses were as follows:

• In the current social context of male-dominated administrative culture, women need more courage, more confidence than most of their male counterparts, especially if women are to utilize more collaborative and flexible approaches to discipline. • Males and females need the same set of skills and dispositions. • Absolutely not! Gender does not a good administrator make! • The same characteristics should be incorporated into the approach by either gender. • Skills and dispositions should not differ for males and females.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Summary of Delphi Study Responses

The above information is a summary of the data collected from a group often

participants, representing a variety of positions all considered to hold expertise in the area

of assistant principals and discipline. The two-phase responses represented by Survey 1

and Survey 2, resulted in a list of skills and dispositions, and their importance, as

identified by the panel of experts as necessary for assistant principals to be successful

disciplinarians. These skills and dispositions were organized into leadership categories

(strategic, instructional, organizational, political & community) as reflected by

categories identified by NCATE for the use of instruction for school administrators.

Table 2 lists the skills and dispositions identified by participants as those

important for assistant principals to be successful during the discipline process. The

following skills and dispositions were identified by the Delphi Study participants as those

most important in each of the leadership categories as reflected by the median score of

3.00 or less:

♦ Fair

♦ Establish positive school climate

♦ Honest/trustworthy/straightforward

♦ Communicator

♦ Visible in the classroom.

When asked to identify the top ten, overall skills and dispositions needed by

assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians (absent of leadership categories), the

participants identified each of the above skills numerous times with the exception of

being visible in the classroom. Consistency was identified as one of the top ranked skills

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. needed when participants were asked to identify the top ten overall skills and was ranked

second in the Other Skills and Dispositions leadership category with a median score of

3.50. The disposition of being fair was also a response ranked significantly different by

males and females (males = 4.50, females = 1.50).

Respondents agreed overall that gender should not matter in the skills and

dispositions needed by administrators during the discipline process. One participant

stated that females need more courage and confidence in this male dominated culture.

Two male participants said there is a difference, one being within the control of the

female (avoiding being macho) and one outside the control of the female (community

attitude).

Focus Groups

Focus groups were used to give a voice to practitioners currently serving as

assistant principals in secondary middle and high schools. Information provided by the

focus groups was weighed against and compared to information provided by the Delphi

participants, resulting in a selection of themes and concepts related to the skills and

dispositions needed by assistant principals during the discipline process.

Invitations to participate in a focus group designed to discuss the skills and

dispositions needed by assistant principals were sent to practitioners in the greater Grand

Rapids area (Attachment 6). Thirty-one invitations were sent to male assistant principals

and fifteen invitations were sent to female assistant principals.

Two focus groups were conducted; one with male participants and one with

female participants. Participants were given a copy of the results of the Delphi Study

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. which identified the ranked skills and dispositions the panel of experts deemed important

for assistant principals to possess in order to be successful disciplinarians. Participants in

the focus groups were also given a copy of Survey 2 with responses from the Delphi

Study (Attachment 8) and asked to rank-order the importance of the listed skills and

dispositions within each leadership category according to their own personal knowledge

and experiences on Survey 2 for Focus Group (Attachment 9).

SPSS was used to analyze the quantitative data collected from the focus group

participants’ responses to Survey 2 for Focus Groups. The median and interquartile

range were identified for each skill or disposition found in Survey 2, using data collected

from the male focus group, female focus group and combined results. This method of

data analysis was selected due to the small size of samples (17 total) and the intent to

combine findings with qualitative data for analysis. The Statistics Department at Grand

Valley State University assisted in verifying the accurate entry of data.

Tables 6 lists the focus group participants’ responses to rank-ordering the skills

and dispositions identified by the Delphi Study. The median is used to identify the

importance each gender gave to the skills and dispositions listed in each of the leadership

categories (strategic, instructional, organizational, political & community, and other).

Responses from Survey 2 collected from participants in the focus groups were

also combined to create an overall rank-ordered list of skills and dispositions with

responses from both males and females. This allows for easy comparison of the

importance given to each skill or disposition according to gender. The following table

lists the median and interquartile ranges of the skills and dispositions as reported by

males, females and when combined in an overall ranking.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1.75 4.50 4.00 5.50 5.00 4.50 5.00 4.00 4.50 3.00 3.00 2.50 2.50 4.00 IQR MALE 5.00 4.50 7.00 5.25 7.008.00 6.00 6.004.00 2.50 4.00 4.50 8.00 2.00 4.50 5.00 7.00 8.00 4.00 6.00 5.00 6.00 2.00 3.00 10.00 MALE MEDIAN 1.50 5.25 7.25 3.00 4.50 2.75 5.00 7.75 FEMALE 5.50 3.50 7.50 7.00 7.00 4.75 2.00 5.00 6.00 FEMALEMEDIAN IQ R 5.50 5.003.50 7.50 2.00 3.00 2.504.00 5.00 4.50 3.00 4.25 4.50 6.50 6.00 4.00 4.25 2.50 8.50 2.50 3.50 4.00 5.004.00 6.00 5.50 2.50 4.00 5.50 3.25 2.00 3.00 1.50 4.00 6.50 4.50 ALL IQR Table -6 Focus Group 5.00 3.00 7.00 6.00 8.002.00 3.25 6.00 5.00 4.00 4.50 8.00 4.50 8.00 7.00 7.00 5.00 5.50 6.75 5.00 5.00 4.00 3.00 6.00 6.00 2.00 2.50 ALL 10.00 MEDIAN Median Scores ofSkills and Dispositions Visible in classrooms, hallways and activities and Visiblehallways classrooms, in Visionary Knowledge of assessment/ discipline strategies Knowledge discipline ofassessment/ Knowledge of age group needs/ learning styles needs/learning Knowledge ofage group minded Open Informed of current research/ practice research/ ofcurrent Informed Ethical INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP Empower students Empower Creative Connect discipline concepts to board/ staff goals staff board/ concepts to discipline Connect Sincere, compassionate, and understanding and compassionate, Sincere, Honest/ trustworthy/ straightforward trustworthy/ Honest/ expectations instructional and Model behavioral solver Problem Good listener (seeks advise(seeks of others) listener Good of philosophy Possessdiscipline a defined Goal/ task/ oriented (prioritize and delegate) and (prioritize oriented Goal/ task/ demographics Knowledge ofcommunity Calm (able to handle difficult people) difficult to handle (able Calm Decision maker STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2.75 3.00 3.00 2.00 2.50 4.00 IQR 1.50 8.50 3.00 9.00 3.75 5.503.50 4.75 4.50 6.00 6.25 7.00 3.00 6.006.00 2.50 4.25 4.00 3.00 7.00 4.50 5.75 2.00 2.75 MALE MEDIAN MALE * * * * * * * * * * * 5.75 7.00 4.50 3.00 4.00 4.50 4.75 5.00 4.75 2.75 2.00 FEMALE 5.00 3.00 3.00 6.00 10.00 7.50 3.00 6.00 6.00 1.00 5.00 4.00 5.00 9.00 3.009.00 10.00 5.00 5.00 5.50 3.00 4.00 2.25 6.00 3.50 7.50 5.00 6.00 3.00 4.00 7.00 3.00 7.00 2.009.00 2.00 3.00 2.00 8.00 5.00 4.25 2.00 9.00 5.00 4.00 3.00 7.006.00 2.50 4.50 7.50 5.00 2.00 3.00 3.00 4.00 4.00 5.00 2.00 3.00 4.004.00 3.00 3.50 3.50 4.00 6.00 5.00 ALL ALL MEDIAN 10.00 5.50 9.50 5.50 10.00 5.50 MEDIAN IQ R FEMALE IQ R Sensitive Active in school/ extra-curricular/ community programs community Active school/ extra-curricular/ in Tough skinned Tough Diversity Diversity sensitivity Align programs/ policies with community values policies with community Align programs/ consensus builder player/ team Collaborative/ policies federal district/state/ support Know, implement, Know influential community members politically savvy politically members community Know influential school community to Open ORGANIZATIONALLEADERSHIP & discipline class management with Assist teachers Committed Communicator participation teacher parent/ student/ Foster Hiring of staff Hiring Organized POLITICAL & COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP Courageous school positive climate Establish Know and promote school school safety promote Know and Be available (open door policy) door (open Be available skills technology Computer/ Follow through to - j

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1.75 5.50 7.00 5.00 6.00 4.00 4.00 5.00 8.50 6.00 4.00 5.50 3.50 4.00 4.00 10.00 1.50 5.00 4.00 5.50 3.25 8.50 5.00 4.50 1.00 4.50 6.50 7.75 3.00 .75 2.00 4.00 11.00 5.00 8.50 5.50 7.00 5.00 6.25 7.00 1.00 4.50 3.50 5.00 5.50 8.00 5.00 7.00 9.006.00 8.00 4.00 8.00 4.50 5.50 5.50 3.50 4.50 7.25 5.00 3.50 4.00 7.008.50 5.00 7.00 .75 7.00 3.00 1.50 10.00 2.75 * Indicates areas where less than four participants responded. responded. interquartile participants not calculate thanfour does where less SPSS areas Indicates * N= 17 ranges for data sets with less thanfour. less with datafor sets ranges Sense of humor ofSense Emotionally stable Emotionally Fair Firm Confidence Flexible Proactive OTHER SKILLS & DISPOSITIONS correct and reflect Ability to Respectful Risk taker Risk Passionate/ dedicated Passionate/ Consistent

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The above table allows for comparison of the importance of each skill and

disposition as identified by practitioners. It further allows for comparison of importance

by gender of the practitioners.

Some of the ranked skills and dispositions reflected a greater interquartile range

than others. These are the skills and dispositions that represent the greatest amount of

disagreement between respondents. Some of the interquartile ranges were not listed for

each gender individually due to SPSS’ inability to calculate interquartile ranges of data

sets with less than four responses. The following table lists the skills and dispositions

with a interquartile range greater than 5.50 when considering all responses from

participants regardless of gender.

Table 7 - Focus Group

Skills and Dispositions with interquartile range greater than 5.50

LEADERSHIP CATEGORY SKILL | DISPOSITION IQR

Instructional Leadership Connect discipline to goals 6.00

Instructional Leadership Visible in classrooms 5.50

Organizational Leadership Hiring of staff 5.50

Other Skills & Dispositions Confidence 7.00

Other Skills & Dispositions Firm 5.50

Other Skills & Dispositions Respectful 7.00

Political & Community Leadership Align programs with community values 6.00

Political & Community Leadership Courageous 7.50

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The above skills and dispositions represent those with the highest level of

disagreement when rank-ordered according to importance.

Some of the listed skills and dispositions were valued differently by the males and

females as evidenced in the rank ordering given by individuals. Table 7 lists the skills

and dispositions ranked by focus group participants with a difference in the median score

of 3.00 or greater, thereby indicating a difference in value of listed skills and dispositions

according to gender.

Table 8 - Focus Group

Responses, by Gender, with a Median Score Difference of 3.00 or Greater

Skill or Disposition Female Male Difference

Confidence 9.00 4.00 5.00

Tough skinned 5.00 9.00 4.00

Firm 8.00 4.00 4.00

Courageous 10.00 7.00 3.00

Connect discipline concepts to board/staff goals 4.00 7.00 3.00

Open minded 7.00 4.00 3.00

Ability to reflect and correct 5.50 8.50 3.00

In summary, males found the skills or dispositions of being tough skinned; being

able to connect discipline concepts to board / staff goals; and the ability to reflect and

correct as less important than the females. Conversely, the females found the skills or

dispositions of being confident, firm, courageous and open minded less important than

the males.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Focus group participants were given the ranked list of skills and dispositions

generated by the Delphi Study (Attachment 8) after they had ranked-ordered the same

skills. Using the mean score of each of the skills and dispositions ranked by the panel of

experts in the Delphi Study, a list was created identifying the order of importance given

to each skill or disposition by the panelists. The mean scores were used to eliminate

duplicate numbers represented by using the median. The mean scores allowed for a more

precise rank-ordering. This list was given to focus group participants as a means to

solicit responses to the following questions:

1) What are the skills and dispositions assistant principals need to be effective

disciplinarians?

2) Do males and females require different skills and dispositions for their personal

success as assistant principals?

3) Do males and females have different opinions about the skills and dispositions they

consider the most important for success in their role as disciplinarian?

During each focus group the researcher served only as a facilitator. The

participants candidly and openly discussed their ideas concerning the skills and

dispositions needed by assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians. An assumption

was made that the focus group participants would identify the skills and dispositions they

felt were most important to the discipline process by their verbal responses. By using

gender as a means of determining focus group session participants, identification of the

different skills and dispositions needed for personal success by males and females were

identified. Each focus group session was video recorded to produce accurate transcripts

of participant’s responses.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Transcripts of focus group conversations were created, using the videotape as a

tool to create an accurate account. After entry into a word processing software,

Ethnograph software was used to analyze data collected during the focus group sessions.

Ethnograph allowed for the identification of key words and phrases by identifying the

number of times each word or phrase was used. The following table identifies the most

repeated words and phrases used by the focus group participants. Using the identified

repeated words and phrases, themes were created to reflect the information provided by

participants. It is assumed the number of times words and phrases were used reflects, to

an extent, the importance participants placed on the words and phrases. A summary of

the findings is presented in Table 9.

TABLE 9 - Focus Groups

Use of Key Words and Phrases

Words Males Females

Building and maintaining relationships and 17 5 connections with students Fairness 3 7

Consistency 3 3

Special education student needs 10 3

Educating teachers and the disciplinary process 11 8

The above table identifies frequently used words and phrases by focus group

participants, resulting in patterns used to identify specific themes. Assuming repeated

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. use may indicate importance, the above words and phrases will guide the discussion of

themes and conclusions drawn from information provided by focus group participants

representing the practitioners’ perceptions of the skills and dispositions needed by

assistant principals to be successful disciplinarians. Although the emerging themes may

not be directly associated with a specific skills or disposition, there is an assumption that

these themes imply the need for specific skills and dispositions found within the list of

identified skills and dispositions by the Delphi and focus group participants.

Fairness and Consistency

When directly asked to identify the skill or disposition most important to being a

successful disciplinarian, both the male and female focus groups distinguished fairness as

the number one skill or disposition needed for successfully disciplining students by way

of ranking it with a median score of 1.00. Although relationships with students was

discussed more frequently and to a greater extent, participants identified by way of

written response, fairness as the most important skill. Oftentimes the notion of

consistency was presented with the concept of fairness. Both groups verbally indicated

that being fair and consistent ranked highest in their rank ordering of skills needed. This

concept is further supported by noting that focus group participants ranked fairness as

number one and consistency as number two in rank ordering the skills and dispositions

found in the “Other skills and dispositions” leadership category of Survey 2. Following

are examples of comments made by focus group participants concerning the concepts of

fair and consistent:

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. • “I personally think number one is fair. When you’re dealing with kids you always

want to make sure you’re fair.” (male)

• (followed by)”. .. You want to make sure you’re consistent.” (male)

• “That’s important. Being consistent.” (male)

• “Number one is fair.” (male)

• “First and foremost, I am open, honest and fair with them.” (female)

• “All kids are on to us and we have to be three things: I always say fair, firm and

consistent because they pick up on everything.” (female)

• “Ya know, you have to be fair and consistent.” (female)

• “Everybody has to be on the same page.” (male)

Student Relationships

One of the most often discussed skill, as identified by the focus group

participants, was the ability to make and maintain relationships or connections with

students. The male focus group mentioned this skill a total of 17 times. Examples of

comments made bymales were:

• “I spent time in the classroom with teachers who didn’t know how to teach so I

could tell them how to build relationships with children.”

• “You talk about relationships; they (teachers) don’t want to build relationships in

the first place. They want to come in, do their job, and run that material at them.

If they can’t handle it, that’s their problem. That’s when they ship them to us.”

• “It’s all about establishing relationships and connections... they didn’t respond to

that title and authority. They responded to that connection.”

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. • “A lot of times I’m in the park in July and I can make them line up on center

court. There’s no suspensions to be afraid of. No time outs, no nothings. So why

do they respond? Because that connection is there. We miss that part. If we

establish that connection, kids will respond because they know it’s in their best

interest.”

• “We, a lot of times as assistant principals, have better relationships with the kids

than the teachers do.”

• “Supposedly, the disciplinarian, the heavy, is supposed to have the least

connection with students. But I know we have the best connection with students;

better than anyone else in the building.”

• “As an assistant principal you have to have a relationship with kids. .. You have

to make connections with your students in school. You might not know their

name, but you will know their faces. You need to just sit down there and talk to

them.”

• “They (students) want honesty, the truth. They want you to be concerned with

them. They want some positive reinforcement. They want someone to be

concerned about their future.”

The females spent considerably less time discussing the need for relationships and

connections. Examples of their comments were:

• “It takes time to form relationships with kids.”

• “And build relationships. That’s the key. That is absolutely the key. We

have found that’s it. You’d better build some sort of relationship.”

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Males hold the need for relationships as a more crucial component to successful

management of students than females. By way of verbal responses, frequency, and types

of responses given, males consider relationship building and maintenance more important

than females.

Special Education Student Needs

Both the males and females expressed concern, and often frustration, when

disciplining children with special needs. The restrictions created by law and the

uniqueness of interventions were both cited as frustrations during the discipline process.

“Special Ed is a big one” seemed to summarize the general feelings about working with

this segment of the student population.

• “You need working knowledge of special Ed law when you’re dealing with

discipline...” (female)

• “And when I look at what I’m dealing with every day, it’s mainly special Ed

kids.” (male)

• “. . . everybody expects you to know what is going on (in special education).”

(male)

Educating Teachers on the Disciplinary Process

Both groups voiced the need to include teachers in the disciplinary process.

Considerable time was spent, more so in the male group, on the need to educate teachers

in acceptable classroom management techniques.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. • .. we need to educate some of our staff on how to handle problems in their own

classrooms without coming to us so we have more time to do other things.”

(male)

• “If we do a great job on teacher evaluations, then in the process we teach them to

handle their classes better. Then, our discipline load goes way down.” (male)

• “But if you (teachers) don’t have the tools to do that, that’s where we come in;

under the evaluation process. But here come the referrals, and then we don’t have

time for the other.” (male)

• “If we never get a chance to get into their classroom, then we’U never get to fix

those things that are broken.” (male)

• “If you (teachers) found out how to work with some creative lesson plans,

curriculum, and assessment on an ongoing basis, you could take care of a whole

lot of problems.” (male)

• “A lot of times teachers don’t want to get their (students) perspective. They just

want to get 'em out of the classroom.” (female)

• “Many, many teachers feel they have no authority. But they do!” (male)

• “Some things teachers in the classroom can do better at.” (female)

• “Teachers, really, need more training on the differences between urban and

suburban and different things they’re going to encounter. They need to be better

prepared so we don’t have to come to their rescue all the time. So we don’t have

to be their disciplinarian.” (male)

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Instructional Leading and Training

One of the most discussed topics in both the male and female focus groups was

the concept of being an instructional leader. The most emotional statements were

reflected in comments made by participants concerning the inability to do everything

expected of them. Both groups expressed their displeasure in being viewed solely as a

disciplinarian, rather than an instructional leader who offers training to teachers and

students. The phrase, “I am an educator,” was heard in both groups, relaying the

frustration of not being allowed the time needed to successfully do all they felt compelled

to do because of the overwhelming amount of time the disciplinary process takes. A long

list of comments made this concept clear.

• “If you look at the survey the leaders did (Survey 2), what it shows is that they

have limited thinking about what an assistant principal does.” (male)

• “People think all we’re dealing with is discipline. If all we were dealing with was

discipline, the job would be a piece of cake.” (male)

• “The perception is 70 or 80 percent of our job is discipline. The other parts are

there when we get around to it. The other stuff, to me, is the most important

stuff.” (male)

• “We’re not here just for discipline purposes. We’re educators. So that means we

need to be involved with more than disciplining a school.” (male)

• “I think as a middle school principal, umm, our focus is behavior a lot. That is

where our focus is even though there is a change and they want us to instructional

leaders. They need to make it clear to us, exactly what they want you to do

because we can’t do it all.” (female)

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. • “I didn’t, or nobody else in here, went to school for eight years so we can say,

“You’re bad, I’m calling your momma.”” (male)

• “And it takes so much time. All the things we do in a given day. When you talk

about the paper work or curriculum, it’s tough... You deal with discipline, you

deal with the communication piece, and you get out there and you have to be

visible.” (female)

• “At some point they (superintendents, parents, teachers) need to get a little reality

check with that (discipline responsibilities).” (female)

Participants in both the male and female focus groups expressed concern that

individuals not currently familiar with the workings of schools assume the role of

assistant principal is simply to discipline students. Both groups presented a firm request

that they be seen as instructional leaders, offering training to all, as well as

disciplinarians.

Gender Issues

Both groups were asked to comment on the differences between males and

females in the disciplinary process. The female group gave limited comments and

combined any differences in treatment they felt with other factors such as the length of

their time in a building or the ethnicity of the students and parents. One participant

commented that there was a noticeable difference in treatment at her current placement

but attributed that difference to, “because there’s two females.”

Males, on the other hand, were quite open in their description of the differences

between males and females and their roles as disciplinarians. Unlike the females they

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. found the topic to be humorous. Their first discussion of gender came before the

introduction of the question of differences between genders. The comment, “at times you

need muscle,” was responded to by the comment, “That’s why there’s not many

females.” (group laughter)

One participant commented, “It is so important to have a female in the building so

they can deal with the female needs because I don’t know what they are.” This was

followed by group laughter. The researcher asked for clarification of what, exactly, were

“female needs.” The response was that there tends to be more “cat fights” with girls than

with boys. “Boys seem to be more calm... girls have issues they take from home and

bring to the building.”

Comments were made about females being able to handle aggressive students

differently from the males. “Women deal with the same individuals,” explained one

participant. “I’ve seen them go up and touch their arm and stop them Where I might go

up and try to pick the whole person u p .. .Ladies are a little more cerebral at times.”

Examples were given of times when it is necessary to deal with sexually abused

girls and the need to have females available to interact with these students. The idea was

presented that these students might not talk to anyone about their issues if a female in

authority were not available. The desire to make the female students more comfortable

when discussing sensitive issues was expressed.

Males and females perceived the importance of a number of skills and

dispositions differently. As shown in Table 8, there are seven identified skills or

dispositions with a median score difference of 3.00 or greater when rank ordered by

gender. Females in this study consider the ability to reflect and correct as much more

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. necessary than males do. The median scores of 8.50 given by the males and 5.50 given

by females substantiate this claim. The same may be said for the skill of connecting

discipline concepts to board/staff goals with median of scores of 4.00 given by females

and 7.00 given by males.

Conversely, the males found a number of concepts considerably more important

than females. Being courageous was viewed as more important to males with a median

score of 7.00, in comparison to the 10.00 median score given by females. Being open

minded was also viewed as more important to the males with a median score of 4.00 to

the female 7.00.

Females considered the disposition of being tough skinned more important than

males. Female responses resulted in a median score of 5.00, while the male responses

resulted in a mean score of 9.00. The need for “tough skin” may be linked to the concept

of confidence. Interestingly, female participants in the Delphi Study responded in the

narrative section that more confidence is needed by females than males; yet confidence

was ranked as number seven (7.00 median score) in importance by the female Delphi

Study participants. Female focus group participants ranked confidence as considerably

less important than male focus group participants, with a median score of 9.00 and 4.00

respectively. Based on these findings of this study, males consider confidence more

important in the discipline process than females in this study do.

Another concept that males view differently in this study than females is that of

being firm. The median score given by the females was an 8.00 while the males ranked

firmness with a median score of 4.00. Similar results can also be found in the Delphi

Study responses. Males gave firm a median score of 4.50, while female respondents gave

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. it a median score of 6.50. Therefore, males in this study consider the disposition of being

firm as more important than females do. Additional proof may be found in the

conversations presented in the male focus groups discussing the issue of muscle and

physical interventions. Firm is often a term used in the description of physical

interventions when addressing the issue of discipline. The idea of being firm and

physically strong was contrasted with the perception that females use their negotiation

skills more often than physical strength.

The final concept to be discussed when considering different perceptions of males

and females in this study is the concept of using humor during the discipline process. The

combined commentary from the focus groups and the difference in median scores

deserves mention. When asked to respond to the rank ordering offered by the Delphi

Study participants, the female focus group participants began their conversation with the

need for humor. “I think a sense of humor is a must. You can’t do this job without it.”

Another factor to consider in establishing the importance of humor for female secondary

assistant principals is the difference in reported median scores between the female focus

group participants (4.50) and the female Delphi Study participants (9.00). According to

the results of this study a sense of humor is a more important disposition for females than

males during the discipline process.

Summary of Focus Group Responses

The above information is the results of data collected from two focus groups.

Each group consisted of assistant principals currently assigned at the secondary level.

The first group contained three female participants, all from the same large, urban school

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. district. The second group contained thirteen male participants, all but one from the same

large, urban school district. Responses from each focus group provided insight into the

different skills and dispositions males and females felt were important for their personal

success as disciplinarians.

Each focus group was provided the results of a Delphi Study representing the

skills and dispositions identified by a panel of experts as essential to the assistant

principal’s role as an effective disciplinarian. Each participant rank-ordered the

identified skills and dispositions within five separate leadership categories. An additional

survey was used in the female focus group from an assistant principal who could not

attend the focus group session, but requested her response to the survey be included with

those of her peers.

Several themes emerged during the focus group discussions. The first theme

dealt with the importance of building and maintaining relationships. Another theme dealt

with the concept of being fair and consistent during the discipline process. The

disciplinary requirements for dealing with students with special needs were discussed and

the lack of knowledge concerning this topic was a voiced as a frustration. The need for

increased teacher training in the area of classroom management was named as a means of

helping assistant principals to be successful in the disciplinary process. Finally, an

emotional plea was made by the group to consider assistant principals as more than

simply disciplinarians and allow for expanded responsibilities.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER V

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Summary

It was the purpose of this study to identify a set of key skills and dispositions

needed by secondary school assistant principals to function as effective disciplinarians.

A joint purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of males and females

concerning this topic. This was accomplished by exploring the perceptions of experts and

practitioners, both male and female, concerning their ideas of the skills and dispositions

needed by assistant principals at the secondary level to be successful disciplinarians. To

that end, the following questions were used to direct research:

1. What are the skills and dispositions assistant principals need to be effective disciplinarians?

2. Do males and females require different skills and dispositions for their personal success as assistant principals?

3. Do males and females have different opinions about the skills and dispositions they consider the most important for success in their role as disciplinarian?

This study began by using the Delphi Method of collecting information from a

group of experts. The Delphi Method generated an initial set of key skills and

dispositions used throughout the study. The objective of this approach is the reliable and

creative exploration of ideas or the production of suitable information for decision

making. The method is based on a structured process for collecting and distilling

knowledge from a group of experts. It uses a series of questionnaires interspersed with

controlled opinion feedback.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A sample for the Delphi Study was chosen representing the following groups:

assistant principals, principals, superintendents, professors and other professionals with

expertise in the area of assistant principals and discipline. The group included both male

and female representatives in each category. The members of the group were asked to

identify skills and dispositions for assistant principals during the discipline process. A

guideline was provided to participants using the leadership categories identified by

NCATE as the essential categories used in training future school administrators. The

responses were collated and returned to participants for importance ranking.

This ranked list of skills and dispositions was then used as an introductory activity

in two focus groups of current assistant principals, one male and one female.

Participants from an approximate 50 mile radius were invited to participate. Three

females and thirteen males participated in the focus groups.

Focus group participants were provided the data collected from the panel of

experts in the Delphi Study. Participants were asked to rank order the list of skills and

dispositions identified by the Delphi Study using their own opinions and experiences as

reference. Upon completion of the survey, each focus group was asked to discuss the

skills and dispositions necessary for assistant principals to be successful in the

disciplinary process. The focus groups provided insights from these practitioners

concerning the skills and dispositions needed jointly and by each gender for successful

handling of discipline issues.

The two methodologies - the Delphi Method and focus groups - were used in

conjunction with one another to generate new information and insights into the role of the

assistant principal and the disciplinary process.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Conclusions

The major focus of this study was to create a list of skills and dispositions needed

by assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians. The following section contains an

analysis of the results of this study and an interpretation of those results.

Top Ranked Skills and Dispositions

The participants of the Delphi Study and the practitioners from the focus groups

were in agreement on many of the skills and dispositions first through third in order in

each of the leadership categories. The same skill or disposition, except one, received top

ranking in each of the leadership categories as identified by both the practitioners and the

panel of experts. This exception is found in the disposition of “ethical,” which came in

as a close second as identified by the panel of experts in the Delphi Study and ranked first

by the practitioners.

Table 10 depicts the median scores as reported by the Delphi Study and the Focus

Group participants. The conclusion can be made, based on these results, that the skills

and dispositions identified as most needed by assistant principals to be successful

disciplinarians in each of the identified leadership categories are being honest, visible,

ethical, a good communicator, establishing positive school climate, fair and consistent.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8.00 8.00 6.00 3.00 5.00 5.00 8.00 7.00 6.00 6.00 7.00 2.00 4.00 3.00 10.00 Focus Group 8.50 3.00 5.00 4.00 7.00 6.00 All Female Male 8.00 7.00 8.00 8.00 7.006.005.00 6.50 5.00 4.00 3.50 4.00 6.005.00 6.50 5.00 7.00 5.50 7.002.00 7.50 2.00 2.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 4.00 2.00 2.00 3.00 3.00 4.006.00 5.50 5.50 10.00 Focus Focus Group Group 5.00 3.50 8.50 7.50 3.00 9.00 7.00 5.00 5.00 3.50 5.50 5.50 2.00 7.50 2.50 3.00 5.50 2.00 6.00 4.00 Male Delphi 5.00 5.00 8.50 6.00 7.005.00 6.50 5.00 2.50 5.00 5.00 3.50 2.50 All Female 5.00 3.50 8.00 5.00 5.007.00 5.50 3.00 5.00 9.00 9.50 6.507.50 5.50 5.00 6.00 3.50 7.50 7.00 6.50 2.50 5.00 7.00 7.50 4.00 6.00 5.50 4.00 4.00 4.00 Delphi Delphi Median scores ofskills and dispositions Table - 10 Focus Group and Delphi Study Visible in classrooms, hallways and activities and hallways Visible classrooms, in Ethical INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP students Empower practice research/ ofcurrent Informed styles needs/learning Knowledge age group of Sincere, compassionate, and understanding and compassionate, Sincere, Knowledge strategies discipline assessment/ of Visionary Knowledge of community demographics Knowledge community of Creative Connect discipline concepts to board/ staff goals staff board/ to concepts discipline Connect Good listener (seeks (seeks advise ofothers) Good listener minded Open Goal/ task/ oriented (prioritize and delegate) and (prioritize oriented task/ Goal/ solver Problem STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP Honest/ trustworthy/ straightforward trustworthy/ Honest/ Decision maker expectations instructional and Model behavioral Calm (able to handle difficult people) difficult handle to (able Calm of philosophy Possess discipline a defined to MO

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 9.00 5.00 5.50 9.00 6.00 7.00 7.00 2.00 2.00 4.00 4.00 2.00 10.00

1.00 1.50 5.00 6.00 5.00 5.00 3.50 7.00 6.00 3.00 5.00 9.50 4.00 6.00 8.00 3.00 3.50 7.50 2.00 4.00 10.00 7.00

9.00 5.00 5.00 9.00 5.50 7.00 4.00 2.00 6.00 2.00 4.00 10.00

8.507.50 7.00 5.00 4.00 9.00 9.00 10.00 8.50 3.00 5.00 6.00 4.50 3.00 3.50 5.00 8.00 6.50 7.50 6.502.507.00 2.00 1.00 6.00 3.00 6.50 2.00 6.50 7.00 4.50 4.00 6.00 6.00 10.00 5.00 10.00 1.50 5.00 8.00 8.00 5.50 8.00 5.00 5.50 5.50 5.50 6.50 3.50 3.00 3.00 9.50 4.50 9.00 7.50 3.50 4.00 10.00 8.50 9.00 5.00 5.50 7.00 5.00 7.50 3.50 6.00 2.00 3.50 3.00 5.00 9.00 7.50 4.00 4.00 6.50 4.00 10.00 10.00

Sensitive Know influential community members politically savvy Open school to community Active in school/ community programs extra-curricular/ Diversity sensitivity Collaborative/team player/ consensus builder Know, implement, district/state/ federal support policies Tough skinned Follow through POLITICAL & COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP Courageous Align policiesprograms/ with community values Establish positive school climate Assist teachers withclass management & discipline Be available (open door policy) Committed Communicator Computer/ technology skills Foster student/ parent/ teacher Foster participation parent/ student/ Hiring ofstaff Know promote schooland safety Organized ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP VO

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5.50 10.00 8.50 8.50 5.503.00 8.50 2.00 8.00 4.00 5.00 7.00 4.00 5.00 6.50 6.00 4.50 11.00 1.00 3.50 1.00 8.50 5.50 5.00 8.00 5.003.00 9.005.00 4.00 7.00 7.006.00 7.00 5.00 10.00 10.00 8.006.00 9.50 4.50 8.50 2.50 5.00 9.50 9.00 3.505.50 4.005.50 3.009.50 3.50 6.50 9.00 6.509.50 4.50 6.50 9.50 5.50 9.50 7.006.00 7.00 7.002.00 7.00 6.00 1.507.00 4.50 N = 27 Sense of humor ofSense Risk taker OTHER SKILLS & DISPOSITIONS Consistent Firm Flexible Passionate/ dedicated Proactive Respectful Ability to reflect correct and Confidence Emotionally stable Fair

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Furthermore, these results correspond with data collected from the Delphi Study.

All the skills and dispositions, with the exception of visible, listed above were identified

as one of the top ten overall skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals by the

Delphi Study participants when asked to list the top ten skills and dispositions needed

absent of leadership categories.

Both the panel of experts in the Delphi Study and panel of practitioners in the

focus groups agreed upon the need for these skills and ranked them as first or second

choice in each of their respective leadership categories. Hence, those associated with but

not holding, the position of assistant principal agreed with the practitioners on the

importance of many of the same top skills.

Fairness and Consistency

One of the number one skills or dispositions needed to be a successful

disciplinarian, as identified by this study, is being fair. This conclusion is evidenced by

both the rank ordering of importance and comments from the Delphi and focus group

participants. Although male Delphi participants ranked fair as the third most important

disposition needed, the Delphi participants overall (including both male and female)

ranked fair as the most important disposition in the Other Skills and Dispositions

Leadership Category. The participants of the Delphi Study ranked “fair” as a tie for the

most important skill or disposition in any leadership category. It was also reported more

than any other skill or disposition when Delphi participants were asked to list the top five

to ten overall skills or dispositions they thought were needed, regardless of leadership

category.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The focus group participants also ranked “fair” as a tie for the most important

skill or disposition in any leadership category with a median score of 1.00. Fairness was

also identified as one of the themes by focus group participants based on the frequency of

its use and the importance placed on the skill by responses given by focus group

participants.

The second most important skill or disposition identified in the Other Skills and

Disposition leadership category in the focus groups and Delphi Study was the concept of

consistency. It was ranked as the most needed skill or disposition by female focus group

participants with a median score of 3.00 and ranked second by the male focus group

participants with a median score of 2.00. The term was most often used in the focus

groups in conjunction with the notion of being fair. The two concepts appeared to go

hand-in-hand in relation to the discipline process.

The Delphi Study participants ranked consistent as the second most needed skill

or disposition in the Other Skills and Dispositions leadership category as well, with a

median score of 3.50. Consistency was identified more frequently by Delphi participants

than any other skill when participants were asked to list the overall top ten needed skills

and dispositions, absent of leadership categories.

The ability to be fair and consistent is often cited in the literature as a common

element in ensuring the success of a schoolwide discipline plan. As reflected in the

findings of this study, fairness and consistency commonly appear in the same sentence

and are often linked in their importance when considering the discipline process.

According to Barger (1998), novice assistant principals often find themselves faced with

dilemmas when attempting to balance their own sense of morals and the expectations to

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. be fair and consistent. In trying to be fair, “assistants strove to enact equity - being fair

but unequal” (1998, p. 126) in the disciplinary process. Therefore, fairness and

consistency may be identified by this study and literature as an important, intertwined

skill.

The results identified by the panel of experts concerning the concept of fair and

consistent disciplinarians may not be consistent with current literature as well. In the

same study by Sesko (1999), a study of school district representatives revealed that

assistant principals who hold firm to their ideas about fair and consistent discipline

procedures can be viewed as liabilities because being fair and consistent may also be

viewed as being inflexible, depending upon the philosophy of the district representatives

and individuals involved in the disciplinary process. Once again, we see the findings of

this study may not be indicative of the current education system.

Moreover, according to Sesko (1999) disciplinarians such as assistant principals

are often viewed as treating students unfairly due to differential treatment for athletes,

students with special needs or students with vocal parents. Although the findings of this

study highlight being fair and consistent as one of the most needed disposition, the

literature suggests there are others in the position of assistant principal who do not adhere

to this philosophy.

Relationships

Several skills and dispositions were associated with themes raised by the focus

groups that were not directly identified by the surveys completed by the Delphi Study and

Focus Group participants. Although these themes do not directly reflect words used to

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. identify a skill or disposition, they do reflect concepts or issues practitioners felt needed

specific skills and dispositions to effectively manage. The first theme identified as

essential to the discipline process for assistant principals was building and maintaining

relationships. Both the male and female focus groups identified this skill as a top priority

for being successful during the discipline process. Student relationships are explicitly

identified as a component of establishing a positive school climate by focus group

participants and are therefore linked to this identified skill.

The terms “relationship” and “connection” were repeated 17 times in the male

focus group and five times in the female focus group. An example of this type of

response may be summarized by the following comment made by a male participant in

the focus group, “It’s all about establishing relationships and connections... they (the

students) don’t respond to that title (assistant principal) and authority. They responded to

that connection.” An additional comment made by a female participant was, “That’s the

key. That is the absolute key. We have found that’s it. You’d better build some sort of

relationship.”

The idea of establishing personal relationships with students corresponds with

much of the literature available on effective school leadership. A study by Bulach,

Boothe and Picket (1997) concluded that the number one predictor of failure for

administrators is the inability to build human relationships. Bulach also concluded that

“most of the shortcomings and mistakes school administrators make fall into the category

of poor human relations” (1998, p. 1). Participants in this study fisted communication

and building positive school climate as two of the top five skills or dispositions needed

by assistant principals, thereby confirming what the professional literature tells us.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Participants in the focus group spoke to the importance of communicating with parents

and students in creating a positive relationship. One participant spoke about the need to

communicate when addressing the topic of creating positive school by saying, “If you

spend all your time suspending and on expulsions you’d never have closure. You’d

never get to the bottom of the problem. It would just be a vicious cycle. So your goal is

to find out what the problem is and how are we going to fix it so it doesn’t happen again.”

This statement links the concept of creating relationships by communicating with

students in order to build positive school climate.

Others, such as Bales (2001), conclude that women school administrators found it

more important than men to establish personal relationships and to value individuals.

Numerous studies have identified women’s management style as one that values

relationships (Claes, 1999, Blaes, 2001, Davis, 1998). However, this study produces

conflicting data when considering women and relationship building. The female focus

group participants viewed positive school climate as slightly more important than the

men in Survey 2. Yet, when discussing the needed skills and dispositions in the focus

group, the females talked about the importance of relationships much less often (17 times

by males, 5 times by females). This may be attributed to the small number of participants

in the study and may not be indicative of opinions of all female assistant principals.

The fact that females spoke about relationships less often than males may also be

linked to the expected roles of males and females in general. According to the literature

and societal expectations, females are expected to be more nurturing in relationships with

children. Whitaker and Lane (1990) found that females measure their personal level of

success more by the nurturing they provide than the accomplishment of tasks. Since this

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. perception exists, females may feel less compelled to acknowledge the importance of

relationships with students and simply assume it’s importance and existence.

Personal relationship building is also credited as a major skill or disposition

essential to the success of leaders outside the realm of education. Such leaders in

management literature as Mark McCormack (1984), Harvey Mackay (1993) and John

Maxwell (1998) all agree that building personal relationships is a desirable management

skill. Maxwell (1998) identifies the concept of building and maintaining relationships as

“The Law of Connection.” Maxwell suggests, “A key to connecting with others is

recognizing that even in a group, you have to relate to people as individuals” (p. 103).

This suggestion can be equated with the assistant principal’s need in this research to

relate to students individually, not just as part of a large school population.

In the literature dealing with assistant principals the concept of relationship

building is often linked with the notion of establishing a positive school climate, which

was ranked as number one in the Political and Community leadership category and tied

for the most important skill or disposition overall, by both male (1.50) and female (1.00)

focus group participants.

Establishing a positive school climate was also ranked as the most important item

in the Political and Community leadership category by the Delphi Study participants,

with males ranking a 2.50 median and females ranking a 1.50 median. This combined

ranking (2.00) represents a tie for the most important skill or disposition in any leadership

category. Establishing a positive school climate was also reported twice (2) by Delphi

participants when asked to list the top five to ten overall skills and dispositions needed,

absent of leadership category.

100

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The related concepts of building interpersonal relationships and positive school

climate are sufficiently important to the role of the assistant principal that they are

included in guidelines established by NCATE and their requirements for college

curriculums dedicated to the training of school administrators.

The current literature suggests that assistant principals are major contributors to

the overall school climate and that relationships are a key component of school climate.

Richard (2000) concludes that assistant principals must motivate individuals within the

school setting to establish a positive school climate. Various other sources list

establishing positive school climate as a function of the assistant principal’s position.

Way son and Pinnell (1982) suggest that a dysfunctional school leads to an increase in the

need for positive school climate. According to Wayson and Pinnell (1982) a

dysfunctional school climate begins with lack of personal relationships.

Therefore, school climate, of which interpersonal relationships is a major factor,

affects the student’s need for individual discipline. This, in turn, impacts the role

assistant principals play in the disciplinary process. So the type of relationships the

assistant principal establishes with students and staff affects not only the disciplinary

process, but also the school climate as well.

Students with Special Needs

Another issue articulated clearly in both focus groups was the frustration

associated with the discipline process and students with special needs. Due to the lack of

knowledge concerning the laws and specific needs of students with special needs it was

felt students with special needs and their disciplinary requirements take more time than

101

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. general education students do. A comment from one participant summarizes the

sentiments of participants, “And when I look at what I’m dealing with every day, it’s

mainly special ed kids.”

The need to discipline students with special needs may be linked with the

identified skill or disposition of possessing knowledge of age group needs and learning

styles, which was ranked number two by female (3.00 median score) and number five by

male (5.00 median score) focus group participants in the Instructional Leadership

category. Additionally, this skill was ranked as number two in a two-way tie (3.50

median score) by Delphi Study participants, with males ranking it as 2.00 median and

females as 5.00 median. This represents first and second choices within this leadership

category.

The identification of the need to possess knowledge of age group needs and

learning styles as an essential skill for successful disciplinary interactions, both by the

experts and the practitioners, establishes the need for the sharing of information with

assistant principals by governmental agencies, parents, teachers, superintendents and

principals. The insufficient sharing of information concerning the disciplinary needs of

students with special needs was acknowledged by the focus group participants as a

frustration and a hindrance to their ability to be successful disciplinarians. The results of

this study suggest that experts in the field of education recognize the need for

practitioners to possess knowledge of specific groups of students, such as students with

special needs; yet, the practitioners identified the lack of information and knowledge as

a deficit in the skills they need to be successful disciplinarians.

102

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The importance of disciplining students with special needs is amplified when one

considers what the research tells us; discipline has been, and continues to be, the greatest

responsibility for assistant principals. Assistant principals spend more time on

disciplining students in a day than on any other responsibility. Therefore, if a particular

student population is singled out as consuming most of the time spent on discipline, the

particular skills, such as knowledge of that population, takes on a greater importance.

Teacher Training

Another theme discussed in both the male and female focus groups was teacher

training and education in the area of classroom management. Both groups voiced the

need to include teachers in the disciplinary process. The theme of educating teachers in

the disciplinary process was identified by male focus group participants more often than

female participants. As identified by comments made, teachers and the need for training

in the area of behavior management is an area of concern and frustration for assistant

principals.

The need for teacher education can be most closely linked with the identified skill

or disposition of “assisting teachers with class management and discipline” found in the

Organizational Leadership category. This item was ranked second in importance in the

Organizational Leadership category by the participants of the Delphi Study (3.50). It was

ranked in a two-way tie for second by female focus group participants (3.00) and fifth by

male focus group participants (5.00) in the same leadership category.

Males, more so than females, discussed the need to educate teachers in acceptable

classroom management techniques and relationship building concepts in order to lessen

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. their disciplinary obligations. Perhaps females view part of their nurturing role as

extending to teachers as well as students thereby making the need for teachers to solve

their own discipline problems less important. Since discipline is viewed as an

administrative task, the findings of Whitatker and Lane (1990) that male administrators

expressed more care about matters concerning administrative tasks than females did

supports this finding.

As one focus group participant put it, “we need to educate some of our staff on

how to handle problems in their own classroom without coming to us so we have more

time to do other things.” Another said, “They (teachers) need to be better prepared so we

don’t have to come to their rescue all the time. So we don’t have to be their

disciplinarian.” Such comments exemplified the need for teacher training as expressed

by the focus group participants. Participants also recognized that if teachers were better

prepared to handle discipline within their classrooms, then assistant principals would

have more time to perform other necessary tasks. Administrators thus recognize the need

for improved teacher education in the area of classroom management.

The literature supports the importance of teacher training in the area of classroom

management and discipline. The findings of this study are supported by a comprehensive,

meta-analysis study conducted by Wang, Haertel and Walberg (1993). They concluded

that the most important influence on learning in the classroom is classroom management.

This is exemplified in the recent boom in classroom management workshops, books, and

classes. The increased popularity of such theorists as Jim Fay, Lee Canter, William

Glasser, Harry Wong and Curwin & Mendler highlight the increased interest in this area

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. of educational philosophy. More and more teacher preparatory curriculums are offering

classes in classroom management.

In considering the current trends in education and the data collected in this study

by way of the Delphi Study and Focus Groups, teacher education in the area of classroom

management emerges as a major factor for assistant principals and the disciplinary

process. Indeed it is the lack of teacher education in the area of classroom management

that increases the responsibilities of assistant principals in the disciplinary process.

Assistant Principals as Disciplinarians

A theme prevalent in the focus groups was viewing the assistant principal solely

as a disciplinarian. This topic brought out the most passionate responses from

practitioners when describing their views on discipline and the role of the assistant

principal. The most emotional statements as identified by voice tone and inflection as

well as physical gestures, were reflected in comments made by participants concerning

the inability to do everything expected of them. Both groups voiced their displeasure and

frustration in being viewed solely as a disciplinarian. The phrase “I am an educator” was

heard in both groups, reflecting the frustration of not being allowed the time needed to

successfully do all they felt compelled to do because of the overwhelming amount of time

the disciplinary process takes. The desire to be seen as “educators” and educational

leaders is a strong desire of assistant principals.

Although the data were not an expected element of this study, and do not speak

directly to the original question of identifying the skills and dispositions needed for

assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians, the discussion of this topic was so

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. prevalent in both focus groups that it bears discussion. Both focus groups specifically

requested the inclusion of this concept in their reporting of information.

This also supports much of the literature that defines the roles and frustrations of

assistant principals. Numerous studies such as Richard (2000), Pellicer (1988), Barger

(1998), Peterson (1999), Crowe (1995) and Sesko (1999), identify increasing

responsibilities as a major concern in the definition of role of the assistant principal. The

Principal’s Leadership Summit (2000) cited this increase in responsibility as a major

deterrent in the recruitment of potential administrators.

In a study by Hartzell, Williams, and Nelson (1995) the role of the assistant

principal was proven to be made more complex by the desire of practitioners to be

educational leaders; yet, the overwhelming amount of daily responsibilities associated

with student discipline prevented this from happening. Johnson concluded that assistant

principals “were frustrated at the amount of time required to perform their jobs well on a

daily basis” (p. 139). The expectations that assistant principals maintain discipline and

order in the school while simultaneously being educational leaders can be an impossible

task. The findings of this study offer support to the notion that assistant principals are

frustrated at their inability to be both educational leaders and maintain discipline.

Gender Differences

The following questions were considered, either directly or indirectly, during the

focus group sessions:

1. Do males and females require different skills and dispositions for their personal success as assistant principals?

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2. Do males and females have different opinions about the skills and dispositions they consider the most important for success in their role as disciplinarian?

Contrary to expectations, males acknowledged greater differences in gender

perceptions than females did. Males spoke more readily about the need for personal

relationships with students. Females perceived the need for overall knowledge more

important than males.

Male Perceptions

Unexpectedly, males were more likely to acknowledge a difference in the skills

and dispositions needed by males and females than the females were. This is found in

both the Delphi Study and focus group comments. Based on the literature and the

researcher’s personal experiences, it was expected that males would be less aware and

less willing to discuss gender differences than females. Yet, males gave more comments

concerning gender differences than females and spent more time discussing the issue.

Male participants in the Delphi Study acknowledged that they sometimes act “macho”

and need to incorporate some of the perceived female traits when dealing with students to

avoid “back(ing) a student into a physical confrontation comer.”

Male participants in the focus group were quite open in their description of the

differences between males and females and their roles as disciplinarians. The males

acknowledged there are fewer females than males and in a humorous way suggested it

was due to lack of “muscle.” Yet during that same focus group, the participants

recognized the need to have female assistant principals in a secondary school setting.

Males also acknowledged that there are specific duties and responsibilities best

handled by female assistant principals. Comments were thus made about females being

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. able to handle aggressive students differently from the males. Examples were also given

of times when it is necessary to deal with sexually abused young ladies and the need to

have female assistant principals available to interact with these students. These students

might not talk to anyone about their issues if a female in authority were not available.

The desire to make the female students more comfortable when discussing sensitive

issues was expressed.

Based on the above findings, it can be stated that males value the contributions of

females within a school administrative setting. If the contributions female administrators

make to the position of assistant principal are valued, then why do males continue to

obtain these positions at such a greater rate than females? Reasons other than

recognizing the value of having females in the role of secondary assistant principal must

be considered when establishing why males are hired over females.

Female Perceptions

Overall, females in the focus groups rated skills and dispositions associated with

possessing knowledge as more important than male focus group participants did. The

following table illustrates this point.

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Median Scores of Knowledge Based Skills and Dispositions by Gender of Practitioner

Skill / Disposition Male Median Score Female Median Score

Community demographics 10.00 8.50

Informed on current research 7.00 6.50

Knowledge of assessment / 6.00 5.00 discipline strategies Knowledge of age group needs / 5.00 3.25 learning styles Computer / technology skills 9.00 8.00

Know, implement, support 6.00 4.00 district/state/federal policies School safety knowledge 7.00 5.00

Although the differences in the median scores are not significant when viewed

independently of each other, collectively they show a pattern. Each of the skills or

dispositions listed above that is associated with possessing knowledge is ranked as more

important by female practitioners. For the most part, the opposite can be said for those

participating in the Delphi Study. All the above categories, with the exception of

computer skills and policy knowledge, were ranked more important by males than

females.

The experts viewed the possession of knowledge as less important for fulfilling

the role of assistant principal than the practitioners. It thus appears that assistant

principal’s desire to know, and be held responsible for knowing. Those “experts” not

currently active in the role of assistant principal consistently ranked the need for

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. knowledge as less important than those currently serving as assistant principal. This may

be linked to the perception that assistant principals do not need knowledge to perform

their given duties. This may be more about devaluing the role of assistant principals than

the need for knowledge.

Recommendations

Based on the finding of this study, a number of recommendations emerge. The

first recommendations are intended for administrators and teachers in secondary schools.

These people need to evaluate their commitment to relationships. Teachers and

administrators need to recognize the importance of building trusting relationships with

students. More importantly, time and resources need to be allocated to the development

of these relationships.

In most traditional secondary school settings little time is spent in fostering the

development of relationships. Teachers and educators need to support each other in their

pursuit of personal relationships with students. Smaller classes and less focus on quantity

of curriculum work are two ways this may be accomplished.

Efforts should be made to assist those involved in education, but not directly

associated with the position of assistant principal, to understand the complexity of the

position. An understanding of the various duties and responsibilities of the assistant

principal, coupled with the knowledge of their desire to be effective in their positions,

might create a better awareness of the assistant principal’s role as disciplinarian for those

not directly involved. They in turn could affect how teachers, students, parents and

others view the assistant principal and his or her role as a school leader.

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This understanding could prepare the way for assistant principals to lend valuable

insights in areas others than discipline. This could also increase the satisfaction of those

holding the position of assistant principal, thereby increasing the number of candidates

seeking to become an assistant principal. As highlighted by the literature, fewer and

fewer individuals are seeking to become assistant principals. The literature also

highlights the frustrations of assistant principals compelled to deal almost exclusively

with discipline.

A further recommendation for secondary schools deals with the area of students

with special needs. Additional training and dissemination of materials concerning the

disciplinary process and students with special needs should be provided to administrators.

Assistant principals need to learn more about the laws pertaining to the disciplining of

special needs students. Such training should also clarify special education law as it

pertains to discipline within the schools.

The same type of analysis is suggested to discern the knowledge level of teachers

and their preparedness for handling discipline within their classrooms. Literature

supports that effective schoolwide discipline begins with effective classroom discipline.

Based on the findings of this study, assistant principals feel there is a need for teachers to

be better prepared to handle disciplinary issues within their own classrooms. Therefore,

whether through workshops, in-service training, licensing mandates, or pay incentives,

ways to encourage teachers to develop the skills necessary to handle discipline issue

within their classrooms is needed.

This concept also holds implications for colleges and universities charged with

the preparation of teachers. More attention needs to be paid to what research has

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. established: classroom management, or discipline, is the number one influence on

learning in the classroom. To that end, classes exploring classroom management should

be mandated in teacher preparatory auriculas. At the very least, the topic of classroom

management needs to be included in curriculum planning of existing classes and

programs.

One last recommendation stems from the data collected in this study. It concerns

the role gender plays in the assistant principalship. Attempts to appreciate both the male

and female leadership styles should be fostered. Validation needs to be given for males

and females and the differences they bring to the table. Stereotypes, such as females are

nurturers and males are leaders, need to be examined. Contrary to commonly held

stereotypes, this study found that males value relationships and nurturing of those

relationships more than females. Therefore, traditional roles need to be re-examined.

Suggestions for Future Research

Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations for fixture

research are made:

1. A larger, more comprehensive study of assistant principals and the skills and

dispositions needed to be successful disciplinarians is recommended. Input from a

greater number of participants and from a larger geographical area would help to test

the findings of this study as the norm for all areas.

2. A closer examination of the accuracy of the job descriptions currently used for

assistant principals may prove helpfiil in preparing assistant principals for their duties

as disciplinarians. A focused time study depicting the actual tasks performed by

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. assistant principals, rather than principals, at the secondary level needs to be

conducted. This study may also serve to lessen the frustration level expressed by

practitioners when they are viewed solely as disciplinarians by expanding the public’s

view of the responsibilities of the secondary assistant principal.

3. Further research on the skills and dispositions identified in this study and how they

pertain to the roles and responsibilities of assistant principals. This could be

accomplished by determining what tasks are performed daily by assistant principals

and determining what skills and dispositions they employed while performing these

tasks.

4. A study analyzing the effectiveness and feasibility of disciplining in the classroom as

opposed to disciplining by the assistant principal may be helpful in effectively

distributing the duties of assistant principals. This study may also help to establish

the need for teacher training in the area of classroom management.

5. An examination of the perceptions of students in regard to the role of assistant

principals and discipline may prove helpful in further identifying the essential skills

and dispositions needed for assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians. The

definition of needed skills and dispositions in this study was limited to the perception

of practitioners and experts; no student input was heard. Student perceptions

concerning the gender of the administrator and the person’s effectiveness may also

offer insight into what different skills and dispositions males and females need to be

successful disciplinarians.

6. Further research on the perceptions of males and females and the role of assistant

principal is also recommended. A comparison by gender of the perceived skills and

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. dispositions needed with those actually used may prove helpful in further defining the

roles and numbers of males and females in secondary school administration.

7. A study of assistant principals who have either quit or been dismissed may be helpful

in determining if the reported skills and dispositions needed are actually those used to

determine successful administrators. By determining why assistant principals were

not successful in their positions, additional insight may be offered as to what

additional skills and dispositions are really needed.

The role of the assistant principal is a complex and demanding one. Little

understanding is shown of the difficulty in successfully dealing with discipline issues

on a daily basis by teachers, students, parents and other professionals. Limited

research is available dealing with the issues of the assistant principal at the secondary

level. With the growing concerns in public education and the increased need for

student discipline, attention should be paid to the contributions secondary assistant

principals make to public education. If current trends continue, the need for qualified

individuals to fill the expanding shortage of assistant principals will grow. To ensure

that need is filled, perspective assistant principals must be properly trained in the

skills and dispositions identified in this study.

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ATTACHMENT 1 Letter #1 - Delphi Participants

Dear Colleague:

You are invited to participate in a study identifying the skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals to be a successful disciplinarian. You have been chosen for your expertise concerning the research topic. Your assistance in providing the information requested will aid in the study of administrative preparedness of assistant principals in managing the discipline process. This research is being conducted as part of the dissertation requirements for Sherie Williams, student at Western Michigan University and Instructor of Education at Grand Valley State University.

If you choose to participate, your commitment will be two-fold. A short questionnaire will be sent asking you to list the skills and dispositions necessary for assistant principals in administering the discipline process. Your responses will be combined with those from other professionals to create a list of suggested skills and dispositions. You will then be sent the combined list requesting you to rank order the identified skills and dispositions according to their importance.

If you choose to participate, your information will assist current and future assistant principals.

Responses you provide will be kept confidential and your identity will not be disclosed to other participants. Returning the first questionnaire indicates your consent for use of the answers you supply and your willingness to receive Survey 2. If you choose to participate, please return the enclosed survey by July 30, 2002.

You may withdraw at any time from this study without prejudice or penalty.

If you have any further questions, please contact me at (616) 895-2076 or Dr. Peter Kobrak at (616)387-8941.

Sincerely,

Sherie Williams Instructor, School of Education Grand Valley State University and Doctoral Student in Public Administration Western Michigan University

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TELEPHONE SCRIPT TO INVITED EDUCATORS WHO HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO THE DELPHI QUESTIONNAIRE

Hello.

My name is Sherie Williams and I am a doctoral candidate in Public Affairs and Administration at Western Michigan University. I am also an instructor of Education at Grand Valley State University. I am calling in response to a letter and survey I sent you recently detailing a study focused on the skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians.

As I explained in the letter, I am calling to provide additional information about the study and answer any questions you may have.

In using a Delphi Technique to collect information, I am seeking your expert input to create a list of skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals to be successful disciplinarians. I believe this study could be helpful to educators in the following ways: • Guide recruitment, assessment and curriculum development activities in the schools of education • Provide helpful information for those considering a career in secondary school administration • Illuminate some aspects of gender disparities found in secondary school administration

The Delphi Technique facilitates data collection by soliciting opinions of experts within a common field. Panel members anonymously work together to create and refine a collection of information.

You have been invited to share your expert opinion as a participant in this Delphi Study. To participate you simply need to respond to the survey you received in the mail. If you choose not to participate, please indicate your preference by returning the uncompleted survey or by verbally indicating your preference during our conversation.

Are there any questions I can answer at this time?

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Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study is to identify a set of key skills and dispositions needed by secondary school assistant principals to function as effective disciplinarians. The information gathered by the use of this survey will facilitate the identification of these key skills and dispositions. Your assistance in providing the information requested will aid in the study of administrative preparedness of assistant principals in managing the discipline process.

Instructions: This survey is divided into two sections. Section I lists four kinds of leadership exercised by assistant principals. Section I also provides a definition commonly associated with each leadership type. In this context, skills refers to what an assistant principal is expected to be able to do and dispositions refers to the values an assistant principal is expected to hold and act upon.

Section II provides space for you to list the skills and dispositions that you believe an assistant principal needs to be an effective disciplinarian. If you think of skills and dispositions that do not fit under any of the leadership types, please list them in the “OTHER” category at the end of the survey. Please return you survey in the envelope provided.

Please provide the following information:

4. Which of the following categories best describes your current position:

Assistant principal Principal

Superintendent Professor

Other Professional

2. You are: male female

Thank you for your gracious cooperation with this study.

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. SECTION I SECTION n LEADERSHIP CATEGORIES IN ORDER TO BE AN EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINARIAN Categories are identified by the National WHAT SKILLS AND DISPOSITIONS Council for Accreditation of Teacher WOULD AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Education for the EDLEA (Advanced NEED IN EACH CATEGORY Educational Leadership) Program.

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP The skills and dispositions needed to develop with others vision and purpose, utilize 1 . information, frame problems, exercise leadership processes to achieve common 2. goals, and act ethically for educational communities. 3.

INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP The skills and dispositions needed to develop learner centered school cultures by designing 1 . appropriate curricula and programs to meet the non-academic needs of students. 2.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP The skills and dispositions needed to understand and improve the organization, 1. implement operational plans, and apply decentralized management processes and 2. procedures as they relate to the discipline process. 3.

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OTHER SKILLS & DISPOSITIONS The initial four categories are identified by NCATE as standards for administrative education. Can you suggest others?

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SURVEY 2 RANKING THE SKILLS AND DISPOSITIONS ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS NEED TO BE EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINARIANS Instructions: Provided below are lists of the many skills and dispositions you and your peers provided in response to the first survey. As you may recall, these describe what assistant principals need to know how to do (skills), as well as what assistant principals need to value (dispositions) in order to be effective disciplinarians.

Please read the skills and dispositions found under each leadership area. Place a “1” in front of the skill or disposition in each list that you think is the most important. Continue ranking until you have ranked the skills and dispositions in each leadership category. Then proceed by listing the five to ten overall most important skills or dispositions you feel necessary for assistant principals to be successful disciplinarians.

Please return your survey in the envelope provided.

Please provide the following information:

Which of the following categories best describes your current position:

Assistant principal Principal

Superintendent Professor

Other Professional

You are: male female

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Calm fable to handle difficult people) Connect discipline concepts to board/ staff goals Decision maker and standards Goal/ task/ oriented (prioritize and delegate) Creative Good listener (seeks advise of others) Empower students Honest/ trustworthy/ straightforward Ethical Knowledge of community demographics Informed of current research/ practice Model behavioral and instructional expectations Knowledge of assessment/ discipline strategies Possess a defined philosophy of discipline Knowledge of age group needs/ learning styles Problem solver Open minded Sincere, compassionate, and understanding Visible in classrooms, hallways and activities Visionary

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP POLITICAL & COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP Assist teachers with classroom management ____Active in school/ extra-curricular/ community and discipline and civic programs Be available (open door policy) Align programs/ policies with community values Committed collaborative/ team player/ consensus builder Communicator Courageous Computer/ technology skills Diversity sensitivity Follow through Establish positive school climate Foster student/ parent/ teacher participation Know, implement and support district/ state/ (create programs for all) federal policies Hiring of staff Know influential community members fbe Know and promote school safety politically savvy) Organized Open school to community Sensitive Tough skinned

OTHER SKILLS & DISPOSITIONS

Ability to reflect and correct Confidence Consistent Emotionally stable Fair Firm Flexible Passionate/ dedicated Proactive Respectful Risk taker Sense of humor

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1 .

Please comment on whether you think male and female assistant principals need different skills and dispositions to be successful disciplinarians and, if so, what they might be. Feel free to use the other side if necessary.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this second and final task.

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Dear participant:

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the study identifying the skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals to be successful disciplinarians. Your responses to Survey 1 have been collected and combined with those from other professionals to create a combined list of suggested skills and dispositions. The enclosed list found on Survey 2 reflects the most common responses. Some responses may have been moved or combined with others for clarity.

Responses you provide on Survey 2 will be kept confidential and your identity will not be disclosed to other participants. If you choose to participate, thereby completing your participation in the study, please return the enclosed Survey 2 by September 10.

You may expect a telephone call within a few weeks to further explain the project and answer any question you might have. You may withdraw at any time from this study without prejudice or penalty.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at (616) 895-2076 or Dr. Peter Kobrak at (616) 387-8941.

Once again, thank you for your time and input.

Sincerely,

Sherie Williams Instructor, School of Education Grand Valley State University And Doctoral Student in Public Administration Western Michigan University

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RECRUITMENT LETTER - FOCUS GROUP

Dear Assistant Principal:

You are invited to participate in a study focusing on the attitudes, skills and dispositions needed in your role as disciplinarian. If you choose to participate, your assistance in providing this information will aid in this study of how assistant principals manage the discipline process. This research is being conducted as part of the dissertation requirements for Sherie Williams, student at Western Michigan University and Instructor of Education at Grand Valley State University. You have been nominated for your expertise in the research area by professors from Grand Valley State University.

As a former teacher and administrator in a secondary school, I understand the demands on your time. Therefore, your requested participation will be limited to one focus group meeting scheduled with a number of your peers at the Franklin Campus of the Grand Rapids Administrative Building on Thursday, November 14, 2002 from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (men’s focus group from 2:00 - 3:00). No other time commitments will be needed. Your information will assist current and future assistant principals in dealing with one of the greatest demands on their time, namely discipline.

I will be contacting you by phone within the week to answer any questions you might have and confirm your participation. Participation in this study is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to consider participating in this study.

If you have any further questions, please contact me at (616) 895-2076.

Sincerely,

Sherie Williams Instructor, School of Education Grand Valley State University and Doctoral Student in Public Administration Western Michigan University

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TELEPHONE SCRIPT TO INVITED ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS FOR PARTICIPATION IN FOCUS GROUPS

Hello.

My name is Sherie Williams and I am a doctoral candidate in Public Affairs and Administration at Western Michigan University. I am also an instructor of Education at Grand Valley State University. I am calling in response to a letter I sent you recently detailing a study focused on the skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals to be effective disciplinarians.

As I explained in the letter, I am calling to provide additional information about the study, answer any questions you may have, and request your participation in the process. To identify the above described skills and dispositions, I am conducting two focus groups, one with male assistant principals, and one with female assistant principals from the greater Grand Rapids area. In these focus groups I will ask you, the practitioners, to comment on the skills and dispositions you find necessary to be effective disciplinarians. You will be asked to evaluate skills and dispositions identified by various experts in the field of education.

The focus group has been scheduled on November 14, starting at 1:00 (or 2:00 for males) p.m., at the Franklin Campus of the Grand Rapids Administrative Building. The duration of the focus group will no longer than one hour. Although there is no available compensation for your expert opinions, I would be willing to share the relevant findings from this project with you.

What questions do you have of me regarding this study?

Knowing that participation in this study in voluntary and you may refuse to participate or quit at any time during the study without prejudice or penalty, may I confirm your participation in the focus group?

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ATTACHMENT 8 Survey 2 for focus groups - Delphi responses SURVEY 2 The following survey lists the skills and dispositions a panel of experts identified as important elements for assistant principals during the disciplinary process. The number preceding each trait indicates the ranked order of importance given to each item by the panel of experts. A “1” indicates the most highly ranked skill or disposition and a“10” indicates the lowest ran ced skill or disposition according to their importance.

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP

4 Calm (able to handle difficult people) _ 7 _ Connect discipline concepts to board/ staff __5__Decision maker goals and standards __8__Goal/ task/ oriented (prioritize and delegate) _10__Creative _ 2 _ Good listener (seeks advise o f others) 4 Empower students __1__Honest/ trustworthy/ straightforward 2 Ethical _10__Knowledge of community demographics 9 Informed o f current research/ practice 9 Model behavioral and instructional expectations __5__Knowledge of assessment/ discipline strategies 6__Possess a defined philosophy o f discipline __1__Knowledge o f age group needs/ learning styles __3__Problem solver 8 Open minded 7 Sincere, compassionate, and understanding __3__Visible in classrooms, hallways and activities 6 Visionary

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP POLITICAL & COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP __5__Active in school/ extra-curricular/ community __5__Assist teachers with classroom management and civic programs and discipline __2__Align programs/ policies with community _ 4 _ Be available (open door policy) values 4 Committed _3__collaborative/ team player/ consensus builder __1__Communicator _7__Courageous _ 9 _ Computer/ technology skills 4 Diversity sensitivity 3 Follow through __1__Establish positive school climate 6 Foster student/ parent/ teacher participation __5__Know, implement and support district/ state/ (create programs for all) federal policies 8 Hiring of staff 10 Know influential community members (be 7 Know and promote school safety politically savvy) 2 Organized 6 Open school to community 8 Sensitive 9 Tough skinned

OTHER SKILLS & DISPOSITIONS

7 Ability to reflect and correct _ 7 _Confidence 2 Consistent __5__Emotionally stable __1__Fair 4 Firm __8__Flexible __3__Passionate/ dedicated 6 Proactive 4 Respectful 10__Risk taker __9__Sense of humor

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STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP

Calm (able to handle difficult people) Connect discipline concepts to board/ staff Decision maker goals and standards Goal/ task/ oriented (prioritize and delegate) Creative Good listener (seeks advise o f others) Empower students Honest/ trustworthy/ straightforward Ethical Knowledge of community demographics Informed of current research/ practice Model behavioral and instructional expectations Knowledge of assessment/ discipline strategies Possess a defined philosophy of discipline Knowledge o f age group needs/ learning styles Problem solver Open minded Sincere, compassionate, and understanding Visible in classrooms, hallways and activities Visionary

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP POLITICAL & COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP Active in school/ extra-curricular/ community Assist teachers with classroom management and civic programs and discipline Align programs/ policies with community Be available (open door policy) values Committed Collaborative/ team player/ consensus builder Communicator Courageous Computer/ technology skills Diversity sensitivity Follow through Establish positive school climate Foster student/ parent/ teacher participation Know, implement and support district/ state/ (create programs for all) federal policies Hiring of staff Know influential community members (be Know and promote school safety politically savvy) Organized Open school to community Sensitive Tough skinned

OTHER SKILLS & DISPOSITIONS

Ability to reflect and correct Confidence Consistent Emotionally stable Fair Firm Flexible Passionate/ dedicated Proactive Respectful Risk taker Sense of humor

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Informed Consent Form for Delphi Study HSI#B Chair ' ( Western Michigan University School of Public Affairs and Administration Principal Investigator: Dr. Peter Kobrak Student Investigator: Sherie Williams

You have been invited to participate in a research project entitled: “Examination of the Skills and Dispositions Needed for Assistant Principals to be Effective Disciplinarians.” This project is Sherie Williams’ dissertation project.

A Delphi Panel Survey will be used to collect data. The Delphi Technique facilitates data collection by soliciting opinions of experts within a common field. Panel members anonymously work together to create and refine a collection of information. Your expert opinion is being requested to identify skills and dispositions you feel are necessary for assistant principals to be successful in the disciplined process.

If you choose to participate, your commitment will be two-fold. A short questionnaire will be sent asking you to list die skills and dispositions necessary for assistant principals in administering the discipline process. Your responses will be combined with those from other professionals to create a list of suggested skills and dispositions. You will then be sent the combined list requesting you to rank order the identified skills and dispositions according to their importance.

To participate you simply need to respond to the survey you received in the mail. Returning the first questionnaire form indicates your consent for use of the answers you supply and your willingness to receive and participate in Survey 2.1f you choose not to participate, please indicate your preference by returning the uncompleted survey or by verbally indicating your preference during our conversation.

On way in which you may benefit from this activity is having the opportunity to share your expertise concerning the discipline process. You may gain insight and knowledge of effective discipline practices from your peers by observing their responses.

All information collected from you is confidential. That means that your name will not appear on any papers on which this information is recorded. No identifying information will be used in presentations or in the dissertation. A master list of participants will be maintained by Sherie Williams and once the data is collected and transcribed the list will be destroyed. All other forms will be retained for at least three years in a secure location in the principal and student investigator’s offices.

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HS^RB C h a i/ /

You may refuse to participate or quit at any time during the study without prejudice or penalty. If you have any questions or concerns about this study, you may contact either Dr. Peter Kobrak at (616) 387-8941 or Sherie Williams at (616) 895-2076. You may also contact the chair of Human Subject Institutional Review Board at (616) 387-8293 or the vice president for research at (616) 387-8298 with concerns you may have.

This consent document has been approved for use for one year by the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board as indicated by the stamped date and signature of the board chair in the upper right comer. Subjects should not sign this document if the comer does not have a stamped date and signature.

Please retain this form for your personal records.

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Informed Consent Form for focus group Western Michigan University HSI^LB Chair ' / School of Public Affairs and Administration Principal Investigator: Dr. Peter Kobrak Student Investigator: Sherie Williams

If you agree to participate you will meet with Sherie Williams for one two-hour session at Grand Valley State University, Pew Campus, Room— . The session will consist of completion of a short survey ranking the skills and dispositions you feel are necessary for assistant principals to be successful in the discipline process and a focus group where you will be asked to discuss your perceptions of the skills and dispositions you deem necessary for success with a group of your peers.

One way in which you may benefit from this activity is having the chance to talk to your peers concerning the discipline process. You may gain insight and knowledge of effective discipline practices from listening to your peers discuss their experiences.

All information collected from you is confidential. That means that neither your name nor other identifying information will appear on any papers on which this information is recorded. No other identifying infonnation will be used in presentations or in the dissertation. As a participant, you must agree to keep all infonnation learned during the focus group confidential. A video-recording of the session will be made to ensure accurate transcription of your information. A master list of participants will be maintained by Sherie Williams and once the data is collected and transcribed the list and video tape will be destroyed. All other forms will be retained for at least three years in a secure location in the principal and student investigator’s offices.

You may refuse to participate or quit at any time during the study without prejudice or penalty. If you have any questions or concerns about this study, you may contact either Dr. Peter Kobrak

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HSIRB Chair /

at (616) 387-8941or Sherie Williams at (616) 895-2076. You may also contact the chair of Human Subject Institutional Review Board at (616) 387-8293 or the vice president for research at (616) 387-8298 with concerns you may have.

This consent document has been approved for use for one year by the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board as indicated by the stamped date and signature of the board chair in the upper right comer. You should not participate if the comer does not have a stamped date and signature.

Your signature below indicates that you have read and/or had explained to you the purpose and requirements of the study and that you agree to participate. The second signature indicates you have read or had explained to you how confidentiality will be maintained and you agree to participate under stated conditions.

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