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How Principals Enact Instructional Leadership in K–5 Urban Schools

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How Principals Enact Instructional Leadership in K–5 Urban Schools HOW PRINCIPALS ENACT INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN K–5 URBAN SCHOOLS A dissertation submitted to the Kent State University College of Education, Health, and Human Services in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Barbara S. Hawley August 2019 © Copyright, 2019 by Barbara S. Hawley All Rights Reserved ii A dissertation written by Barbara S. Hawley B.S., Kent State University, 2005 M.Ed., Kent State University, 2013 Ph.D., Kent State University, 2019 Approved by _____________________________, Co-Director, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Rosemary Gornik _____________________________, Co-Director, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Stephen Mitchell _____________________________, Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Martha J. Lash Accepted by _____________________________, Director, School of Foundations, Leadership and Kimberly S. Schimmel Administration _____________________________, Dean, College of Education, Health and Human James C. Hannon Services iii HAWLEY, BARBARA S., PH.D., August 2019 FOUNDATIONS, LEADERSHIP, AND ADMINISTRATION HOW PRINCIPALS ENACT INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN K–5 URBAN SCHOOLS (198 pp.) Co-Directors of Dissertation: Rosemary Gornik, Ph.D. Stephen Mitchell, Ph.D. The purpose of this study was to explore how urban elementary principals enact instructional leadership in K–5 urban elementary public schools at a time when principals are held accountable for students’ state test scores. The participants in this bounded case study were three urban elementary principals from the same school district. Data collection was obtained from interviews, documents, and school walks in the participants’ schools. The following three themes emerged: (a) instructional leadership was shaped by district focuses, (b) building positive school climate was important to principals as instructional leaders, and (c) principals in urban districts face a variety of challenges. Implications that emerged from this study were: (a) principals knowing that it is possible to navigate the tension of trying to lead with integrity while dealing with the tensions of accountability, (b) principals can lead teachers to think about curriculum through the lens of critical theory, (c) principals have a variety of strategies that are available to be an instructional leader in their building, and (d) principal preparation programs can use the findings from the study to align them with the ISLCC standards. Further research on this topic could be studied using principals from different school districts. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Throughout the process of writing my dissertation I have received a great deal of support and have many people to thank. I appreciate all of their guidance, support, and encouragement along the way. I would like to acknowledge the work of my dissertation committee consisting of Dr. Rosemary Gornik, Dr. Martha Lash, and Dr. Stephen Mitchell. Dr. Gornik, for her unwavering support and help with the dissertation process. She helped me to improve my work as a scholar. Her feedback on my writing, analysis, and implications helped to improve the quality of my dissertation. I will always remember her belief in my work and in this study. Dr. Christa Boske, who challenged my thinking throughout my coursework and the dissertation process. Dr. Lash guided me to look at the data in a different way. Dr. Mitchell, for coming on to my committee at the end and offering great feedback during my defense. I would also like to acknowledge the support of my family. My husband, Todd Hawley, has been extremely supportive throughout the process. My parents and sister for supporting me and for always watching the kids while I was writing my dissertation. Finally, I want to acknowledge the principals who participated in the study. I appreciate the time they spent being part of the study and their willingness to share their experiences and knowledge. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................4 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................8 Theoretical Framework .........................................................................................11 School Culture ................................................................................................11 Leadership .......................................................................................................15 Critical Theory ................................................................................................17 Critical theory in education ...................................................................18 Critical pedagogy ..................................................................................19 Significance of the Study .......................................................................................23 Research Questions ................................................................................................24 Context for the Study .............................................................................................24 Definition of Terms................................................................................................25 Summary ................................................................................................................27 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ..............................................................................29 History of the Achievement Gap ..........................................................................29 Elementary and Secondary Education Act ............................................................34 A Nation at Risk.....................................................................................................34 The History of School Reform ...............................................................................37 America 2000 ..................................................................................................37 Goals 2000 and the Reauthorization of ESEA ...............................................38 No Child Left Behind .....................................................................................39 Race to the Top ...............................................................................................41 Reauthorization of the ESSA ..........................................................................43 Current Challenges in Education ..........................................................................43 Vouchers .........................................................................................................46 International and National Standards and Standardized Testing ....................47 Accountability .................................................................................................49 Politics in Curriculum .....................................................................................51 What is Student Achievement? ..............................................................................56 Principal’s Impact on Student Achievement ..........................................................58 The Principal as an Instructional Leader ...............................................................60 Limitations of Instructional Leadership ..........................................................65 v Shared Instructional Leadership .....................................................................66 Curriculum Leadership ..........................................................................................69 Creating a Culture of Learning ..............................................................................70 The Aims of Education ..........................................................................................71 Responding to the Accountability ..................................................................77 Justice Oriented Leadership ...........................................................................79 Summary ................................................................................................................81 III. METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................83 Design of the Study ................................................................................................83 Entre .......................................................................................................................85 Participants .............................................................................................................86 Timeline .................................................................................................................87 Data Collection ......................................................................................................88 Interviews .......................................................................................................90 Documents ......................................................................................................92
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