Collective Leadership Practices That Assure High Levels of Student Learning for All: High School Implementation of Response to Intervention
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies Educational Leadership Studies 2016 COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP PRACTICES THAT ASSURE HIGH LEVELS OF STUDENT LEARNING FOR ALL: HIGH SCHOOL IMPLEMENTATION OF RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION Melissa E. Wainwright University of Kentucky, [email protected] Digital Object Identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2016.390 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Wainwright, Melissa E., "COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP PRACTICES THAT ASSURE HIGH LEVELS OF STUDENT LEARNING FOR ALL: HIGH SCHOOL IMPLEMENTATION OF RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION" (2016). Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies. 14. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/edl_etds/14 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Educational Leadership Studies at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s thesis including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Melissa E. Wainwright, Student Dr. Tricia Browne-Ferrigno, Major Professor Dr. John B. Nash, Director of Graduate Studies COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP PRACTICES THAT ASSURE HIGH LEVELS OF STUDENT LEARNING FOR ALL: HIGH SCHOOL IMPLEMENTATION OF RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky By Melissa E. Wainwright Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Tricia Browne-Ferrigno, Professor of Educational Leadership Studies Lexington, Kentucky 2016 Copyright © Melissa Elaine Wainwright 2016 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP PRACTICES THAT ASSURE HIGH LEVELS OF STUDENT LEARNING FOR ALL: HIGH SCHOOL IMPLEMENTATION OF RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION Twenty-first century schools are complex organizations that serve individual students’ needs while meeting accountability and assessment demands. Effective leadership balances these diverse responsibilities through collective work of the shareholders in order to assure high levels of learning for all. This qualitative study examined Response to Intervention (RTI) implementation in two high performing high schools in Kentucky. Both schools were classified as distinguished on the 2014-15 Kentucky School Report Card. One school has a long- standing tradition of high performance. The other school’s journey to high performance involved moving from a Needs Improvement School to a School of Distinction. The 4-D Appreciative Inquiry (AI) Theory was used to explore the collective leadership practices of the two high schools. Data collection instruments and protocols followed the four AI phases (discover, dream, design, and deliver). Data were collected through observations, site visits, artifact reviews, individual interviews and focus groups. The effective schools characteristics, RTI core traits, and collective leadership practices provided the context for the study design. In studying the RTI implementation process, evidence of effective schools characteristics, RTI core traits, and collective leadership practices were observed. Both schools focused intentionally on core instruction as an integral part of the RTI implementation process. The data concluded that the schools continue to make progress in meeting more students’ needs. Both schools have strategic plans to discover, dream, design, and deliver new ways to maximize the collective strengths of the school community. Evidence of each phase of AI emerged in the stories, conversations, and artifacts at both schools. KEYWORDS: Appreciative Inquiry, Positive Organizational Scholarship, Effective Schools, Response to Intervention, Collective Leadership Practices, Team Leadership Melissa E. Wainwright Student’s Signature 07/18/2016 Date COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP PRACTICES THAT ASSURE HIGH LEVELS OF STUDENT LEARNING FOR ALL: HIGH SCHOOL IMPLEMENTATION OF RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION By Melissa E. Wainwright Dr. Tricia Browne-Ferrigno Director of Dissertation Dr. John B. Nash Director of Graduate Studies 07/18/2016 Date DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my very wise father, Larry Lee Jeffries, who passed away in May 2012. He had a deep passion and appreciation for learning and growing in wisdom. Sadly, he died prior to the writing of this dissertation. Many times during the process, I thought of my father and longed to share the research journey with him. My hope is that this completed work honors his memory, inspires others to seek wisdom, and promotes a love for learning. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. Proverbs 9: 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I give thanks and praise to God for His provisions through every step of the dissertation process. I thank Him for being my constant source of strength and refuge. Through His grace and blessings this dissertation is complete. To my committee chair, Professor Tricia Browne-Ferrigno, who wore so many hats throughout this process, a huge thank you. Words cannot adequately express my sincere gratitude for all you have taught me about qualitative research, effective leadership, and organizational learning. Thank you for being a resource, cheerleader, and dissertation guide. You challenged me to develop my thoughts and extend my knowledge base. To the other members of my committee, Professor Lars Björk, Dr. Wayne Lewis, and Dr. Maria Cahill, thank you for the countless hours spent reading my work, answering questions, attending committee members, and challenging me to push my level of research. To Dr. Rosetta Sandidge, thank you for your time and willingness to participate in my final oral examination. To all the faculty and staff in the EDL department, thank you. You each inspired me in different ways to critically analyze what I read, write, hear, and say. I appreciate you all very much. To Linda Combes, who assisted me greatly with the process, thank you for helping meet all the deadlines and believing in me. You are amazing! To the personnel at the two High Schools of Distinction that opened their doors to me for countless hours of interviews and observations, a very special thank you. Thank you for sharing your stories and doing great work to support every student in your schools. You inspired me and provided me countless examples of excellence in education. iii To my dear family, my husband, Mark, daughter, Mikenna, and son, Matson, thank you for your kind gestures and patience throughout this process. I know it has been a long, difficult journey for you. Thank you for all the sacrifices you have made over the years. Thank you for allowing me the time to finish this work. Thank you for believing in me even when I was not sure I could do it. To my mother, Joy, sisters Lucretia and Felicia, brothers in law, nieces, and nephews, thank you for countless hours of listening and encouraging me. Thank you for your prayers. I love you all and am so appreciative of the support you have given me throughout this very long journey. To my precious friend and colleague, Susan Robertson, thank you for your endless words of encouragement. You have been with me on this journey from the beginning. Your help and willingness to listen throughout the dissertation writing was invaluable. Let me just say, thank you and I owe you big time. To my colleagues, adopted cohort members, and fellow students, thank you. I have learned from you and thank you for encouraging me to keep making progress to the end. To some very special teachers, Mrs. Gustafson, Ms. Edwards, Mrs. Keyes, Sra. Smith, and Dr. Guillen who instilled in me a love for reading and writing. They pushed me to write, question, ponder what I read, and think about what I write. They were certainly 21st century educators in the 20th century. I am forever grateful for their instruction. Thank you to all who shared this long journey with me. Thank you to those who listened to my countless monologues about research designs, literature findings, and data analysis. Thank you to those who read portions of this body of writing and provided iv feedback. I appreciate every prayer, word of encouragement, and acknowledgment of my struggles. Every time I was extremely fatigued or disappointed with my progress, one of my support system members would say, “What you are feeling is normal, or you can do this.” While I felt anything but normal throughout this journey, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your encouragement.