In the past three years, educational leaders in the United States were called to fight for equity and dismantle the oppressive systemic racism that afflict our schools. Yet, as so many of our school leaders and educators are White, they feel unprepared to confront the historic and evolving problem of racial inequality that has frequently been viewed as a “Black problem” (Singleton, 2015, p. 37). With a renewed commitment to educational equity, school leaders are seeking ways to build less divisive and more inclusive schools. This qualitative study describes the role of trust and collaboration in developing culturally responsive school leadership through the perceptions, beliefs, dispositions, and strategies of five school leaders. This study is a narrative inquiry into the experiences of five current school leaders in Massachusetts collected from interviews from June -October 2022. Their staff were also surveyed electronically. Participants were selected based on the following criteria: (a) Experienced (>5 years) principals and assistant principals (b) Current employment in public schools in Massachusetts (c) Leaders with diverse backgrounds and racial identities, including people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) including both male and female leaders and (d) Graduate coursework in culturally responsive school leadership. Their narratives are analyzed through the frameworks of both critical theory and critical race theory. The analysis is organized around four components of equity leadership described by the school leaders: core values, leadership roles, barriers to trust, and influence and identity. The study recommends practices for equity-focused school leadership and suggests ways districts can support, identify, and recruit culturally responsive school leaders. This dissertation aims to deepen our current understanding of the relationship between staff trust and culturally responsive school leadership while also describing an emerging leadership identity that is shaping current educational practices.

Research indicates that students perform better academically in schools with higher levels of trust than in schools with lower levels of trust. School leaders are primarily responsible for building cultures of trust but are often at a loss as to how to do so effectively. With the assumption that as perceptions of school leader trustworthiness improve, teachers will be more likely to place their trust in that school leader, this research seeks to clarify how Ugandan headteachers improve teachers' perceptions of headteacher trustworthiness. In particular, we examined how specific types of headteacher visibility related to teachers' perceptions of headteacher relational and competence trustworthiness. This qualitative research used grounded theory methodology to interpret and analyze the interview responses of 28 Ugandan secondary school teachers in eight schools in Mukono District, Uganda. Findings from this research suggest that teachers' perceptions of headteacher relational trustworthiness were strongly related to both the level of risk and formality of headteacher visibility. Additional findings suggest that perceptions of both headteacher relational and competence trustworthiness were influenced by differences in teacher and headteacher personal characteristics. The final finding indicates that certain types of headteacher visibility moderated the influence that teacher characteristics have on perceptions of trustworthiness. These findings can inform school leaders about how to more effectively improve teachers' perceptions of school leader trustworthiness. The grounded theory model presented will provide opportunities for further theory building and testing with respect to the relationship between school leader visibility and teachers' perceptions of school leader trustworthiness.

<p>  </p> <p>With the passing of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), schools must look for proactive strategies to help struggling learners stay in the classroom environment. Schools across the United States are turning to restorative practices to build school community, resolve conflict peacefully, and repair harm caused to the community. With restorative practices, students and staff are given an implicate framework for self-regulating behavior, developing positive interactions with teachers and peers, and building self-efficacy skills. The purpose of this qualitative ethnography was to examine how staff members at one suburban middle school perceive the process of community building through the use of restorative practices. This study included building-level leadership along with certified and classified staff members. The findings indicate that school leadership modeling effective and intentional use of restorative practices provides an explicate framework of practices that give staff and students tools to build community. In addition, students and staff learned how their personal impact affects the school community. This study provides information that can guide the practices of many professionals and students in education. There are specific implications to this study that can impact how school administrators lead a school building in a way that develops a sense of belonging for all members. </p>

Secondary administrative and leadership teams continuously search for practices that bolster cultural proficiency to address increasingly diverse student cohorts. This qualitative case study identifies the culturally responsive school leadership (CRSL) behaviors and expressions of 24 high school administrative and leadership team members in a suburban school district in Utah. Data reveals how each team demonstrates the behaviors and expressions of CRSL framework and how these behaviors and expressions position each school on the culturally proficient continuum. Superimposing the CRSL behaviors and expressions on the cultural proficiency continuum provides a current reality for administrative and leadership teams to assess their tipping points and how to move toward cultural proficiency.

The aim of this quantitative study was to explore the connection between self-perceived cultural proficiency among school leaders and the discipline gap for Black students in high schools in North Texas. The study sought to achieve this by (a) identifying the level of cultural proficiency perceived by school leaders, (b) examining the disciplinary rates of Black students in each participating high school, and (c) exploring how school administrators' beliefs regarding cultural proficiency impacted the disciplinary rates of Black students on their campuses. To assess their implementation of cultural proficiency practices, Hine's cultural proficiency leadership framework was utilized. The study found a significant positive correlation between the total cultural proficiency score and the number of out-of-school suspensions for Black students, while a negative correlation was observed for White students. Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between the total cultural proficiency score and the number of in-school suspensions for Black students, while no statistically significant correlation was found for White students. The participants in the study met three criteria: (a) working at a 5A or 6A UIL-identified campus in North Texas, (b) having at least 9% of the student population identified as Black and African American, and (c) serving as school leaders responsible for assigning exclusionary discipline.

The purpose of the study was to identify assistant principals' perceptions of their roles in school leadership, their experiences with student discipline in the public school setting pre- and post-COVID-19, and the professional learning they were provided to navigate the student discipline process. The basic qualitative study addressed two research questions: What were high school assistant principals' perceptions of leadership related to student discipline in public schools pre- and post-COVID pandemic? Furthermore, what professional development would support assistant principals with the student discipline process post-COVID-19? Using a standard interview protocol, the researcher interviewed eight high school assistant principals in one southeastern Virginia school division. The interview questions were organized into themes in response to the research questions based on the respondents' shared perceptions of their roles, student discipline experiences pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic, including professional development needs. This study revealed that assistant principals perceived changes in their leadership capacity due to declining student behavior, and the frequency of student discipline referrals "increased dramatically" post-COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas high school assistant principals prioritized instructional leadership before the pandemic, in the post-COVID-19 pandemic, negative student behavior caused school leaders to focus on processing school discipline over instructional leadership. This research found that student behaviors changed the educational landscape post-COVID-19, highlighting areas of concern for student well-being, such as physical aggression, substance abuse, lack of school attendance, and mental health concerns. The study also found that high school assistant principals reflected positive outcomes post-COVID-19 pandemic as they adjusted their professional practice as empathetic leaders fostering positive relationships with school stakeholders. Finally, the researcher sought to examine the high school assistant principals' experiences with professional development opportunities when learning the student discipline process. The study found that assistant principals wanted actionable, collaborative, and interactive learning opportunities, including authentic mentorships, hands-on learning experiences, and guidance to communicate with stakeholders during the student discipline process. Implications from this study include calling on the Department of Education, school divisions, and school principals to identify, plan, and support high school assistant principals as they navigate the role of school leaders post-COVID-19 pandemic. / Doctor of Education / The COVID-19 pandemic created a catalyst for change in an uncertain educational environment for school leaders. As the "boots on the ground," high school assistant principals became the front-line offense for school divisions and principals in navigating students' return to face-to-face instruction post-COVID-19 pandemic. This research interviewed eight high school assistant principals for their perceptions, interactions, and experiences as administrators, especially with the school discipline process before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also examined the professional development assistant principals perceived they needed to navigate the post-pandemic student discipline process. This study revealed that assistant principals perceived changes in their leadership capacity due to declining student behavior, and the frequency of student discipline referrals "increased dramatically" post-COVID-19 pandemic. Student behaviors changed the educational landscape post-COVID-19, highlighting areas of concern for student well-being, such as physical aggression, substance abuse, lack of school attendance, and mental health concerns. Although pre-COVID-19 pandemic high school assistant principals prioritized instructional leadership, in the post-COVID-19 pandemic school setting, the study found that negative student behavior shifted the school leaders' priority to processing school discipline over instructional leadership. In addition, the administrators in this study expressed the need for professional development focused on the school discipline process that is actionable, collaborative, and involves interactive learning opportunities. Authentic mentorships, hands-on learning experiences, and communication guidance during traumatic events are suggested. The study closed by calling on the Departments of Education, school divisions, and school principals to identify and plan for support of high school assistant principals' need to navigate the role of school leaders post-COVID-19 pandemic.

Students across the country experience negative effects due to losses in classroom instruction time caused by exclusionary discipline. In Mississippi, 11.8% of students received 1 or more in-school suspensions and 9.7% of students received 1 or more out-of-school suspensions during the 2013-14 school year. This study sought to determine effective classroom management strategies for addressing discipline infractions, identify professional development needs of teachers and administrators focused on effective classroom management strategies, describe the role of the principal in promoting professional management strategies and reducing discipline infractions, and determine recommendations for related school policies. Mississippi public school districts serving students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grades. All school districts were located in rural areas across the state. Participants in the study included 3 administrators and 5 teachers. All participants had 6 or more years of experience. The research design selected for the study was a qualitative approach. Phenomenological research was conducted to analyze participants’ experiences relating to classroom management, discipline, administration, and policy. Participants were interviewed about their experiences and opinions regarding classroom management strategies, professional development, the role of the principal, and policy recommendations all relating to reducing discipline infractions and increasing student achievement. The data were analyzed to determine emergent themes among the participants in response to the research questions and to provide recommendations for professional development and policy changes. Common themes were identified through the participants’ interviews. The findings showed that participants believed positive reinforcement, academic supports, behavior supports, relationships, planning, and teaching expectations and consequences were the most effective classroom management strategies. Participants identified behavior supports, seating, grouping, PBIS, classroom management plans, teaching children from poverty, classroom relationships, teaching expectations, student engagement, planning, and providing feedback as professional development needs. Participants described the role of the administrator as supporting teachers, maintaining consistency and fairness, establishing relationships with teachers and students, and maintaining a presence in classrooms. Policy recommendations included increased consistency, stronger parental involvement policies, adjustments to non-violent offenses, classroom management professional development for new teachers, including teachers in administrative processes, policies based upon grade levels, and more detailed PBIS policies.

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