The Magic Bullet: the Effective Administrator's Roles During the Implementation of Technology in K-12 Education
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Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2004 The am gic bullet: the effective administrator's roles during the implementation of technology in K-12 education Dennis Wayne McElroy Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, and the Instructional Media Design Commons Recommended Citation McElroy, Dennis Wayne, "The am gic bullet: the effective administrator's roles during the implementation of technology in K-12 education " (2004). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 801. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/801 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The magic bullet: The effective administrator's roles during the implementation of technology in K-12 education by Dennis Wayne McEIroy A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Education (Curriculum and Instructional Technology) Program of Study Committee: Ann Thompson, Major Professor Don Rieck Jackie Blount Douglas Yarger Denise Schmidt Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2004 Copyright © Dennis Wayne McEIroy, 2004. All rights reserved. UMI Number: 3136334 Copyright 2004 by McEIroy, Dennis Wayne All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 3136334 Copyright 2004 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Graduate College Iowa State University This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation of Dennis Wayne McEIroy has met the dissertation requirements of Iowa State University Signature was redacted for privacy. Co ittee Member Signature was redacted for privacy. Committee Member Signature was redacted for privacy. Committed Member Signature was redacted for privacy. C tee Member Signature was redacted for privacy. Major Professor Signature was redacted for privacy. iii DEDICATION This work is dedicated to the memory of my grandparents, Vaughn and Marjorie McEIroy and Kay and Myrtle White, and to my parents, William and Doris McEIroy for always believing in me and for lighting a path I could follow. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix ABSTRACT xi CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND 1 Leadership Defined 2 The Need for Technology Leadership 4 The Problem 7 The Purpose 7 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 10 Historical Background: Technology In Education 10 The Administrator's Role 14 Providing Administrative Support 16 Creating a Vision 17 Communicating the Vision 18 Involving Staff and Coordination 19 Curriculum Development and Technology Integration 19 Training Staff 20 Developing a Knowledge Base 21 Issues of Importance 22 The Change Process 24 The Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) Change Model 26 The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) 27 Participatory Management and Education Reform 29 Preparation of Effective Leaders 31 Summary 33 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 35 Why Conduct a Qualitative Study? 36 Subject Selection and Gaining Access 40 The Educational Setting 41 Role of the Researcher 43 Data Sources, Collection, Management, and Analysis 44 Data Sources 44 Data Collection 45 Data Management 47 Data Analysis Strategies 50 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS 54 Contextualization 54 Leadership 55 Explanation 56 Background 56 Participatory Management and Technology 57 Departmentalized Structure 59 State Push Towards Participatory Management 59 Developing Better Working Relationships 60 Support from the Superintendent and Principal 60 Common Threads 61 Collaboration 62 Providing Leadership from All Levels 67 The Principal as Leader 68 The Teacher as Leader 71 Group Leadership 73 Community as Leader 75 Breaking the Mold 77 Having and Sharing a Joint Vision 78 Vision Origins and Influences 78 Communicating and Maintaining the Vision 80 Understanding the Impact of Change on the Educational System 87 Introducing Change 88 Resistance to Change 88 Overcoming Resistance: The Path to Change 93 Impact of Technology on the Educational System 96 Impact on Student Learning 99 Identifying and Managing Teacher Issues 101 Personnel Turnover 102 Summary 104 Timeline of Critical Technology-Related Events 106 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS 109 Encouraging and Fostering Collaboration Ill Providing Leadership From All Levels 113 Having And Sharing A Joint Vision 117 Recognizing and Understanding the Impact of Change on the Educational System 121 The Impact of Technology on Education 124 Identifying and Managing Teacher Issues 126 Employee Turnover 126 Impact of Recognition 128 The Missing Standards 130 Essential Conditions: A Comparison 131 NETS-A Condition One: Shared Vision 131 NETS-A Condition Nine: Community Support 131 NETS-A Condition Two: Equitable Access 133 NETS-A Condition Three: Skilled Personnel 134 NETS-A Condition Four: Professional Development 134 vi NETS-A Condition Five: Technical Assistance 134 NETS-A Condition Six: Content Standards and Curriculum Resources...136 NETS-A Condition Seven: Student-Centered Teaching 138 NETS-A Condition Eight: Assessment and Accountability 139 NETS-A Condition Ten: Support Policies 139 NETS-A Condition Eleven: External Conditions 141 Impact of Essential Conditions on Success 142 The Art of Venn: Theme Relationships 142 Interrelationships Between the National Technology Standards for Administrators 144 The Magic Bullet: Implications for Practice 146 The Successful Administrator's Role 146 Creating an Environment of Trust 148 Collaborative Communities 150 Understanding Technology Standards 152 NETS-A: What's Missing? 153 Administrator Preparation 154 Implications for Research 155 Exploration of the Interrelationships of Technology Standards 155 Development of Case Studies that Further Explore Exemplary Administrators and Their Roles During Technology Initiative Implementation 156 The Origins and Evolution of the Technology Vision 156 The Use of Technology as an Initiative Catalyst Rather Than as the Initiative 157 The Benefit of Research Programs Providing Reflective Opportunities for Participants 157 Closing Thoughts 158 APPENDIX A: NETS FOR ADMINISTRATORS 159 APPENDIX B: NETS FOR ADMINISTRATORS: PRINCIPAL PROFILE 161 APPENDIX C: ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS 164 APPENDIX D: ADMINISTRATOR SELECTION RUBRIC 165 APPENDIX E: HUMAN SUBJECTS REVIEW FORM 170 APPENDIX F: INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD APPROVAL 174 APPENDIX G: INFORMED CONSENT DOCUMENT 175 APPENDIX H: INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR PRINCIPAL 177 APPENDIX I: INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR FOCUS GROUP CARDINAL ELEMENTARY 179 APPENDIX J: INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR AREA EDUCATION AGENCY CONSULTANT 181 APPENDIX K: DATA CODES 182 APPENDIX L: SCHOOL RULES FOR CONSENSUAL DECISION-MAKING 183 REFERENCES 184 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Examples of Relationships Between Hoffman's Causes of Failure and Suggested Administrator Roles 17 Figure 2.2 A Comparison of the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow Development Stages to the Stages of Concern About the Innovation 28 Figure 5-1 Example illustrating the interrelationships between themes and supporting codes 143 Figure 5-2 An example of interrelationships between national standards 145 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Administrator Response Level Concerning Technology Issues with Rising Importance 13 Table 3.1 Focus Group Participant Demographic Information 43 Table 3.2 Sources of Data for the Study 45 Table 3.3 Keywords, Phrases, and Topics from Initial Data Analysis of Principal and Focus Group Transcripts 48 ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work is the result of the influence of many people over a long period of time. Knowing it is impossible to thank everyone here I hope each of you know how thankful I am and will forgive any omissions. This might have never happened if it weren't for my major professor, Dr. Ann Thompson. She has been my guide and mentor. Thanks for making the call and telling me it was time to come back and begin my PhD studies. You provided the support and encouragement at the most opportune times. You set an incredible example I hope to follow in my career I would like to thank my committee for making this experience so positive and reminding me that learning is indeed life-long. I greatly appreciate the support and guidance provided by Dr. Don Rieck, Dr. Denise Schmidt, Dr. Douglas Yarger, Dr. Jackie Blount, and Dr. Jerry Willis. This was an incredible committee. Thanks to my editor Billie Evans. She was my high school English teacher and now can finally experience the success of her student.