This study employed a quantitative research design using a mail survey to explore leadership style in Islamic schools in the United States. The purpose of the study was to describe levels of transformational and transactional leadership of American Muslim principals. Correlational analyses were used to determine the relationship between principal and teacher reports of principals' use of transformational leadership and the relationship of demographic variables to perceptions of transformational leadership. Multiple regression analyses showed that none of the six demographic variables were significant predictors of the variance in principal- or teacher-reported use of transformational leadership. Thirty-three principals responded to the MLQ 5X selfrating form and 143 teachers responded to the MLQ 5X otherrating form. Principals rated themselves higher than their teachers on transformational leadership and lower than their teachers on transactional leadership. Both principals and teachers ranked principals highest in Inspirational Motivation and lowest in Management-by-Exception Passive. Principals rated themselves as being more intellectually stimulating and less often using contingent reward. In schools where teachers were more congruent in their ratings of the principal, they tended to perceive the principals as more transformational than did teachers in schools where teachers were less congruent in their ratings. It appears that where principals are more consistent in their interactions with teachers, teachers have higher opinions of the principal as a transformational leader. Both teachers and principals rated principals of American Muslim schools as fairly high in the use of both transformational and transactional leadership. Comparisons of these findings to other research in the U.S. suggest that American Muslim principals exhibit leadership characteristics very similar to those of other U.S. principals.

No description available.

This study seeks to explore, and in exploring to describe, and illuminate, <i>Al-Amal </i> a private bilingual school in Kuwait that adapts and implements a curriculum designed by U.S. educators in three main academic subjects (English, science, and mathematics), while at the same time, focuses extensively on an Islamic studies curriculum. The main incentive for selecting this focus was the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Since that date, the mass media have paid much attention to Islam and to Muslim society, particularly to its educational system, which has usually been viewed with skepticism (Charif, 2002; Rugh, 2002). This study focuses on a single school, for the general insight it can offer into a number of related research questions: How do Islamic parents who send their children to this school define the spiritual and/or religious needs they want their children to possess, and what role does the school play in fulfilling such needs? How do spiritual/religious and academic needs intersect within the formal curriculum at the school, as a result of daily interactions between teachers and children? Finally, in the midst of increased westernization and globalization, how do the teachers of this school negotiate the influences of western values on their students and curriculum? By exploring the nature, philosophy, and context of one Islamic school, this study seeks to enable readers to understand more fully and accurately how those involved with such an institution cope with the various challenges they meet in the global sphere. To reach its goal, this study utilizes a number of research methods and tools, including direct observation, interviews, a research diary and reflection, and a traditional literature review. Ultimately, this study suggests that Al- Amal possesses unique complexities and contradictions. Those characteristics derive from the institution's transformation of traditional Islamic schooling in order to prepare its students for life in the global arena and from its desire to develop both academically and spiritually a new generation of Muslims better able to cope with the challenges they confront in this arena. / Ph. D.

The American Muslim presence has been at the center of debates around assimilation, belonging, acceptance or even contribution to the mainstream society. In practice of their right to the free choice of education, some American Muslims have been attending full-time American Islamic schools. These schools have been a focal point in painting the picture and understanding of the American Muslim experience. Using qualitative case study methods, this dissertation explored what teacher practices support successful student experiences in relation to positive identity development at three private Islamic Schools in the U.S. The findings revealed that, despite challenges in operations, instability of staff and finances, at all the three cases studied the teachers offered student identity support through varied approaches including means of mentoring, teacher care and teaching by example, fostering a sense of community, family and belonging in the schools where they worked, in addition to a focus on the formative, non-academic, process of education; focusing on spirituality and character formation.

This study investigates the challenges and opportunities of using the Aboriginal principles of “Respect,” “Reciprocity,” “Relationship,” and “Responsibility” (known as the “4 R’s”), Seventh Generation Stewardship, and an Aboriginal circle of giving and receiving, to teach Muslim students in one Islamic elementary school setting about environmental stewardship. The research tracked the thoughts and emotional connections of students as they undertook to establish the Aboriginal circle of giving and receiving, with plants they planted for their science unit. Through lessons and practices around the 4 R’s, the majority of students demonstrated an increased emotional attachment to the plants in their respective circles, which was documented in journals. While establishing these practices, the students expressed a heightened awareness of the various ways in which they may enhance the practice of environmental stewardship mandated in traditional Islamic texts.

This study investigates the challenges and opportunities of using the Aboriginal principles of “Respect,” “Reciprocity,” “Relationship,” and “Responsibility” (known as the “4 R’s”), Seventh Generation Stewardship, and an Aboriginal circle of giving and receiving, to teach Muslim students in one Islamic elementary school setting about environmental stewardship. The research tracked the thoughts and emotional connections of students as they undertook to establish the Aboriginal circle of giving and receiving, with plants they planted for their science unit. Through lessons and practices around the 4 R’s, the majority of students demonstrated an increased emotional attachment to the plants in their respective circles, which was documented in journals. While establishing these practices, the students expressed a heightened awareness of the various ways in which they may enhance the practice of environmental stewardship mandated in traditional Islamic texts.

This study sought to explore and explain how boys, girls, teachers, and principals "do gender" in Islamic schools in the United States. The goal is to seek plausible explanations of how boys and girls interact formally and informally during the day, how they create differences, and how they interact with teachers and principals. This descriptive study utilized a case study design. The education of girls is very important for their individual growth and development, as well as for the welfare of both the Islamic and American societies and nations. Therefore, scholars and educators should work together to solve problems interfering with the education of girls. Research studies indicate that issues that impact girls' education include discrimination against girls in classrooms, interaction between boys and girls, effects of gender on education, and hidden curriculum. This study is very important for the Islamic communities to improve education of girls in the United States. The value of this study is to explore and explain how boys and girls "do gender" in Islamic schools in the United States and how this "doing" affects girls' academic achievement.

Effective leadership in Islamic schools involves the incorporation of Islamic principles in the leadership behaviors and practices. With so much literature about the need of Islamic leadership in Islamic institutions in the United States, the problem addressed by the study was whether school principals in Islamic schools exhibited and led these schools according to the principles of Islamic leadership. The study described leadership approaches used by school principals in Islamic schools and how those leadership approaches were influenced by Islamic leadership principles, comparing the Islamic leadership principles derived from the literature with the leadership principles of principals of Islamic schools. A complete population of 12 Islamic school principals in the state of Michigan participated in the study. Data was obtained by individual, face-to-face interviews to get rich descriptive information about their leadership approaches, trait, styles, and principles.

As the focal point of the school, the principal’s leadership is integral to its effective functioning. This study used a self-assessment to analyze the self-identified strengths of principals in Islamic schools within the five most populated states in the United States (which also have the largest number of mosques) and the commonalities in those strengths based on (a) the enrollment of the school; (b) year school was established; (c) the gender of the principal; (d) the principal’s professional preparation, e.g., degree in education vs. other fields and years of experience; and (e) geographic location. While only a small amount of statistical significance was evident (p < .05) in exploring the differences between groups, several conclusions were made. In analyzing the strengths of the principals, the least selected strength was Significance and the most was Analytical, which had the highest proportion of affirmatively responding principals as compared to any of the other strengths. Additionally, the relationship between principal strength and school enrollment resulted in for the strengths of Command and Developer at a significance level that was less stringent than the p = .002 dictated by the study; principals at schools that have a student enrollment of 151-200 ranked Command higher as compared to principals in schools of other sizes, whereas those with an enrollment of 150 or fewer students ranked Developer as a more preferred strength. In addressing principal strengths and gender, the results showcased males ranking Self-assuredness as their preferred trait more frequently than their female counterparts, who preferred Futuristic. Furthermore, the relationship of principal strengths and area of education resulted in the strengths of Activator, Maximizer, and Positivity as being iv ranked higher for principals who had a degree in education at the p = .05 level. The strengths of Empathy, Harmony, and Responsibility (p < .05) and Deliberative (p < .01) were ranked higher by principals who did not have a degree in education. Also, based on the average rankings of principal strengths, Achiever indicated the strongest association for principals with a degree in education and Deliberative for principals who did not. The results of the mean ranking of the strengths among principals of differing years of experience resulted in the ranking of Focus and Includer at higher levels for principals with 3-6 years of experience (p < .01). Furthermore, the average rankings showcased the strength of Achiever as the most strongly rated for principals with less than 3 years of experience, Focus for principals with 3-6 years of experience, and Analytical for principals with more than 6 years. Examination of principal strengths based on geographic location was conducted descriptively due to small group sizes. Among the five states of focus, average rankings of strengths indicated that Deliberative was the most preferred among California principals, Includer among Florida principals, Activator among Illinois respondents, Command among New York principals, and Analytical in Texas.

No description available.