FLYLEAF All Odds Against Them AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Bruce C. Labs for the degree of Doctor of Education in Learning, Leadership & Community presented May, 2019 Title: All Odds Against Them: The Superintendent’s Leadership in Rapid and Sustained System Improvement in Small, Rural, Impoverished, School Districts Abstract approved: Ann B. Berry Dissertation Committee Chair This research is an examination of the instructional leadership practices of effective rural superintendents who oversee school districts in small, rural school districts in the most northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The study looked at the successful leadership practices of school district superintendents who have maintained a path of growth and improvement in districts that were small, rural and impoverished, however, they have overcome these limiting factors to show improvement in student achievement and instruction. The purpose of this study was to identify these successful leadership practices and to compare them to those identified in the meta- analysis done by Marzano and Waters in 2009. It is important to discover why these All Odds Against Them districts improved and identify factors that might account for their success as compared to other districts with similar demographics. There is value in studying the leadership in schools that have needed improvement and become successful and sustained their turnaround over time. Such information will provide a model school leaders can learn from and replicate in their own efforts in future school reform. A multiple case study approach utilized several steps to gather information from four cases selected using the model proposed in a case study done by Masumoto and Brown- Welty in 2009. This current study employed a multiple case study design using interviews with four superintendents, staff members (i.e., teachers and administrators and other educational professionals) at both the building level and at the district level during site visits to each school selected. Interviews were used as primary source data and were compared with documents related to the school district’s work. Results indicate that the factors identified in prior research related to effective district leadership, collaborative goal setting, establishment of nonnegotiable goals for achievement and instruction, creation of school board alignment and support of goals, and the allocation of resources to support the goals for achievement and instruction were present in these successful turnaround rural districts (Marzano & Waters, 2009). In addition, the research identified two new factors, high expectations and climate and culture that appeared to play an important role in the improvement of the districts with increased student achievement despite their challenging demographics. Recommendations as a result of these findings for rural district leaders are discussed. All Odds Against Them All Odds Against Them: The Superintendent’s Leadership in Rapid and Sustained System Improvement in Small, Rural, Impoverished, School Districts By Bruce C. Labs CAGS, University of New Hampshire, 1996 MA, Plymouth State College, 1981 BA, New England College, 1973 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Education Plymouth State University Defended January 10, 2019 Degree Conferred May, 2019 Dr. Ann B. Berry, Ph.D., Chair All Odds Against Them Dissertation of Bruce C. Labs Presented on January 10, 2019 Approved: Ann B. Berry, Dissertation Committee Chair Angela Faherty, Dissertation Committee Shirley Ferguson, Dissertation Committee Robin Dorff, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs I I understand that my dissertation will become part of the permanent collection of the Plymouth State University, Lamson Learning Commons. My signature below authorizes release of my dissertation to any reader upon request. Bruce C. Labs All Odds Against Them All Odds Against Them i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am extremely grateful, to the many people who supported me and encouraged me through this work. I began this journey in the end of my career and to this day I do not know how, with my busy schedule as a practicing superintendent in a difficult and very demanding school district in Vermont involved in a merger of two SUs an eight district mergers, I have managed to finish. I don’t think that I can possibly acknowledge all of the people who have been supportive to me in this effort and have allowed me the time and energy to complete this work. I want to express my gratitude and to my wife Kathleen and my daughters Kara, and Shannon. I know how this work has been one more distraction that has taken me away from other things I could have been doing. I appreciate the time understanding and encouragement to allow me to finish. I could not have done this it without them! I am so truly greatly grateful to my dissertation Committee Chair, Dr. Ann Berry for her support throughout this long process. Her steady hand helped to guide me and direct me with technical assistance, guidance, encouragement, and her wisdom. Her assistance proved so invaluable, especially when I doubted myself for even attempting to do this work. Dr. Berry truly has a passion for the study of rural education. That passion both challenged my thinking, and encouraged me to reflect and analyze my thoughts so that I could finish this research. I wish to thank my committee members Dr. Shirley Ferguson and Dr. Angela Faherty for their support for and all of the help they gave me through this long research and writing journey. I am sure that they never realized all the time that this would take All Odds Against Them ii when they agreed to signed on. I appreciate their wisdom, support, and technical expertise that they contributed to me throughout this process. I couldn’t have picked a better committee to help me in this work! I am also grateful to the White River Valley SU and especially its Executive Board for the help in giving me the time, consideration, and resources to finish this work. All Odds Against Them iii Table of Contents List of Tables -------------------------------------------------------------------------------viii Chapter 1: Introduction-----------------------------------------------------------------------1 Problem Statement-------------------------------------------------------------------------1 Purpose of the Research------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 Historical Background for the Accountability Movement--------------------------- 2 The Effect of the Accountability Movement of School Leadership---------------- 4 The Superintendent as Instructional Leader-------------------------------------------- 4 Turnaround Schools Defined------------------------------------------------------------- 6 The Use of Data as a Leadership Strategy to Improve Instruction------------------ 7 The Relationship of Turnaround Schools and the Role of District Leadership---- 8 Constant Factors of Effectiveness in Turnaround Schools--------------------------- 9 Leading in Rural Schools---------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Literature on Rural Schools--------------------------------------------------------------11 Summary----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 Chapter 2: Review of Literature-------------------------------------------------------------13 Historical Background of No Child Left Behind--------------------------------------15 The Community Control Movement in New York City ---------------------------- 16 Accountability in England and Ireland in the 70’s and 80’s ------------------------17 The ESEA Authorization 1965 to 2002 ----------------------------------------------- 20 The Implication of ESE Reauthorization 2002 to Present -------------------------- 21 Publication of the Report, “A Nation at Risk” ----------------------------------------23 All Odds Against Them iv Goals 2000: Education America Act --------------------------------------------------27 ESEA Reauthorization of 2002 and “No Child Left Behind” Begins -------------28 The History of the Superintendent Position -------------------------------------------31 The Evolution of the Role of the Superintendent -------------------------------------32 Climate of Pressure -----------------------------------------------------------------------34 Role, Responsibilities and Expectations of the Superintendents -------------------35 Threats to District Leadership -----------------------------------------------------------36 Attrition of District Administrators -----------------------------------------------------37 Attrition of District Leaders in Rural States ------------------------------------------ 38 Superintendent as an Agent for Change ----------------------------------------------- 40 Leadership Authority Delegated by the School Board -------------------------------41 Rapid Program Improvement vs. Slow and Steady Improvement Defined -------46 Relationship of Student Demographics to School Improvement -------------------48 Adjusting to the Changes in Demographics to Improve Student Achievement---49 The Importance of Using a Progress Monitoring Improvement --------------------51 Framework for Instructional Leadership ---------------------------------------------- 52 The Relationship Between District Leadership and Student Achievement ------- 54 Research on Principal Leadership and Turnaround School Districts ---------------56 The Importance of Effective