Using Shared Leadership to Achieve School Improvement Goals
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CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Liberty University Digital Commons USING SHARED LEADERSHIP TO ACHIEVE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT GOALS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF ONE HIGH SCHOOL’S JOURNEY by Leigh Ann Putman Liberty University A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education July, 2012 Using Shared Leadership to Achieve School Improvement Goals: One School’s Journey by Leigh Ann Putman A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia July, 2012 APPROVED BY: Lisa Reason, Ed.D., Committee Chair Kristi Kilby Goodwin, Ed.D., Committee Member Barbara Leutz, Ed.D., Committee Member Scott Watson, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Advanced Programs 2 ABSTRACT This qualitative phenomenological study examined the impact of shared leadership committees on school improvement efforts. The research identified which leadership factors lead to successful shared leadership committees and which supports and structures were needed for the committees to be meaningful in regards to school improvement. Certified staff who had been a part of the shared leadership committees at one high school in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia took part in the study. The participants were divided according to the committee on which they served and two were randomly selected two from each committee for participation in the study. All study participants completed an information gathering survey and some participated in personal interviews, focus groups, or observations with the primary researcher. These educators were selected because they experienced the phenomenon being examined. Surveys and interviews indicated that participants knew that there was a mission or vision statement, but could not articulate what it was. The surveys also indicated that most teachers felt that they could participate in the school-wide decision making process if they desired to do so. In addition, the surveys detected that there was a culture of respect between teachers, but not between teachers and administration. There was also a feeling amongst teachers that there was no time for collaboration on issues of school improvement or instruction. For these reasons, school improvement was not positively impacted by the school’s shared leadership committees. Results strongly demonstrated that shared leadership committees in general are very likely to be unsuccessful unless there is time dedicated during the 3 school day for the committees to meet, there is a well-defined purpose for the committees, there is a choice for each staff member of which committee to serve on, there is administration involvement and oversight of the work of the committees, and there is value attached to the work of the committees. 4 DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my mother, Carolyn. From writing my name for the first time to writing a dissertation, you have been my biggest cheerleader and most trusted advisor. You have modeled what it means to have a strong work ethic and to value education. When I have wanted to give up, the desire to make you proud has pushed me forward. God’s greatest gift to me has been and always will be having you as my mother. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to my dissertation committee. Dr. Reason, your patience and guidance during this process has been just what I needed, especially after the loss of my original chair. Your encouraging words kept me focused, and for that, I thank you. Dr. Kristi Kilby Goodwin, you are an inspiration to me, not only professionally, but personally, and I appreciate your encouragement and advice more than you know. Dr. Barbara Leutz, thank you for always answering the phone by saying, “Hello, Dr. Putman!” I will never be able to repay you for the time, advice, and positive energy that you not only infused into this work but also into my life. Your friendship and professional example have been a blessing, and I cannot wait to see what we get into next. Shake and bake! The biggest prize of all has been the relationships I have built through this experience. To my ratpack—for the comic relief, the encouragement, the understanding, the stern talks (when I needed them), the guidance, the tears, the cheers, and the hugs— thank you. I started out to earn a degree, and I finished with fifteen brilliant, kind, snarky, and fun friends for life. Kelly, your heart is as big as the sky. Thank you for being the constant voice of “Yes, you can!” You are brilliant . simply brilliant. Thank you for time, encouragement, and, well, brilliance! To Kim—thank you for being proud of me and cheering for me. If you and I were together, everyone, whether they knew us or not, knew “Leigh Ann is going to be a iii doctor!” Your encouragement and your fun spirit have been a constant in my life for twenty-five years, and I am thankful for that every day. To Dan—thank you for your patience and love. I know it cannot be easy to live with someone who is going through this process. Thank you for your understanding and willingness to listen when I have needed to vent, and for letting me disappear when I needed to work. Your support has helped me make my dream of finishing come true. And finally, to Dr. Jill Jones—I felt lost when I lost you. I could not imagine finishing without you there to give me a big hug and a smile and a “Go, girl, go!” I have felt you with me every step of the way, and I know, as you always said, that you were “loving me from afar.” Thank you for your inspiration and for always reminding me that “Satan doesn’t want you to finish.” I heard you, and guess what? We FINISHED! iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .........................................................................................................................3 DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................1 Background to the Study ..........................................................................................1 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................5 Purpose Statement ....................................................................................................6 Research Questions ..................................................................................................6 Significance of the Study .........................................................................................7 Research Plan ...........................................................................................................7 Limitation and Delimitations ...................................................................................9 Definition of Terms................................................................................................11 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ..............................................................13 Theoretical Framework ..........................................................................................13 Characteristics of Effective Schools ......................................................................15 Impact of Leadership on School Improvement ......................................................23 The Role of Vision and Mission in School Leadership Success ...........................25 Emotional Intelligence and Successful Leadership ...............................................28 Transformational Leadership .................................................................................32 Distributed Leadership ...........................................................................................39 From Traditional Models to a New Way of Thinking ...........................................46 Professional Learning Communities ......................................................................48 v Summary of Review of Literature .........................................................................52 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ..........................................................................54 Research Questions ................................................................................................55 Research Design.....................................................................................................55 Participants .............................................................................................................57 Procedures ..............................................................................................................60 Data Collection ......................................................................................................62 Data Analysis Procedures ......................................................................................65 Credibility/Dependability Issues ............................................................................67 Summary of the Methodology ...............................................................................69 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS ..........................................................................................70 Introduction ............................................................................................................70