View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Pepperdine Digital Commons Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 2011 An untold story: African American women founders of private and charter high schools Sharon Wilson Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd Recommended Citation Wilson, Sharon, "An untold story: African American women founders of private and charter high schools" (2011). Theses and Dissertations. 152. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/152 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected] , [email protected]. Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology AN UNTOLD STORY: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN FOUNDERS OF PRIVATE AND CHARTER HIGH SCHOOLS A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership by Sharon Wilson June 2011 John McManus, Ph.D. – Dissertation Chairperson This dissertation, written by Sharon Wilson under the guidance of a Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been submitted to and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Doctoral committee: John McManus, Ph.D., Chairperson Robert M. Canady, D.B.A. Lauren E. Walters, Ed.D. © Copyright by Sharon Wilson (2011) All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ..............................................................................................................vi LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................. …….....vii DEDICATION ....................................................................................................... ……..viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………….……………….…..ix CURRICULUM VITA……………………………………………….…………….…….xi ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1: Introduction .............................................................................................. ……..1 Background on Current Education Issues for Minorities in Los Angeles ............... 2 The History of Education in the African American Community............................. 3 Background on AA Women Who Have Led Education Reforms………………...4 The Problem ................................................................................................... ……. 8 Purpose of the Study ...................................................................................... ……..9 Research Questions……………………………………………………… .............. 9 Significance of the Study ....................................................................................... 10 Limitations of the Study ........................................................................................ 10 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2: Background and Related Literature Review…………….…….………….…..13 Relevance of Learning in the 21 st Century ............................................................ 13 Competitive Competence ....................................................................................... 14 Charter Schools ...................................................................................................... 18 Private Schools ....................................................................................................... 19 Influence of Leadership Styles ............................................................................... 21 Definitions of Leadership Styles ............................................................................ 23 Ethics in Leadership ....................................................................................... ……26 Gender Differences in Leadership Style ............................................................ …29 Entrepreneurship as a Leadership Style ......................................................... ……31 African American Leadership and Business Development Background ...... ……33 Summary of the Literature Review ................................................................ ……35 Chapter 3: Methods……………………………………………………………………....38 Description of the Research Design....................................................................... 38 Description of the Data Gathering Instrument ....................................................... 39 v Page Validation of Data Gathering Instruments ............................................................. 40 Data Sources .......................................................................................................... 41 Description of the Data Gathering Process ............................................................ 43 Description of the Data Analysis Process .............................................................. 45 Chapter 4: Analysis of Findings ........................................................................................ 46 Research Results .................................................................................................... 46 Section One: Results of the Written Survey .......................................................... 47 Section Two: Results of the Interviews ................................................................. 57 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations .............................................................. 105 Summary of the Research ............................................................................ … ... 105 Summary of the Results ............................................................................... … ... 108 Conclusions .................................................................................................. … ... 110 Recommendations for Further Study…………………………………………...110 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ … ... 112 APPENDIX A: Written Survey Instrument ............................................................. … ... 116 APPENDIX B: Interview Instrument ..................................................................... … ... 125 APPENDIX C: Cover Letter to Panel of Experts ........................................................ …126 APPENDIX D: Telephone Script for Calls to Potential Participants........................... ... 127 APPENDIX E: Cover Letter for Survey Participants ................................................. .... 128 APPENDIX F: Informed Consent Statement for Survey Participants…….…………...130 APPENDIX G: Signed Consent to Participate in a Research Study ………… .............. 132 APPENDIX H: Resource Information………………………………………………. .... 133 vi LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Definitions of Leadership Styles ........................................................................ 22 Table 2. Influences Upon Decision to Start a School ....................................................... 60 Table 3. Career Path Considerations................................................................................. 63 Table 4. Previous Best Occupational Preparation ............................................................ 66 Table 5. Participants’ Views of Their Role Within the AA Community ......................... 69 Table 6. Religious Influences as an Adult ........................................................................ 73 Table 7. Religious Considerations in Decision to Start and Operate a School ................. 77 Table 8. Ethical Responsibilities in Leading the School .................................................. 79 Table 9. Most Important Factor Leading to Founder Success .......................................... 83 Table 10. Mentoring Received by Participants ................................................................. 85 Table 11. Mentoring Opportunities Provided by the Participants .................................... 88 Table 12. Three Greatest Concerns Starting the School ................................................... 90 Table 13. Day Participant Decided to Begin the School Endeavor .................................. 94 Table 14. Participant Thoughts on School Leadership ..................................................... 97 Table 15. Most Important Information: The Founders ................................................... 101 Table 16. Thoughts on Entrepreneurial Pursuits ............................................................ 103 vii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Positions of influence in America open to AA women ...................................... 54 Figure 2. Perception that negative feelings towards AAs are at an all-time low ............... 55 Figure 3. Perception that family is more important than career……………………… .... 55 Figure 4. Perception that every AA child should have a formal AA education…………56 viii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my grandmother, Verdie Coleman, who left a legacy of education for generations to come when she graduated from Jefferson High School, well into her fifties. I dedicate this dissertation to my grandchildren: Oquiesha, Jamal, Kyrsten, and Askari Wilson. This dissertation