The public's continued disappointment with public education and the call for both teacher and student accountability is requiring a response from educators. School divisions in the state of Virginia are developing educational policies that address the state's Standards of Learning Objectives. Administrators and teachers continue to search for innovative ways to adapt the curriculum to guarantee individual student and school success for meeting accreditation requirements in the 2006-2007 school term. This demand for both student and teacher success has created an intense anxiousness among all persons involved in the educational process. The focus of this study was to determine what makes one school more successful in promoting student achievement on the Virginia Standards of Learning assessment than another comparable school. The exploration of a school's organizational structure, leadership practices, teaching behaviors of instructional personnel, school culture, and parent support were studied to determine their effect on student performance on the Standards of Learning assessments. The researcher was concerned with understanding of educational practices that would enrich the thinking of principals, teachers, and parents as they continue to accomplish Virginia's prescribed SOL benchmarks. Data was collected through classroom and school observations and interviews with the principals, teachers, and parents of the two schools. A cross-case comparison of the targeted schools was performed to check for commonalties and differences. Several variables emerged from the data that have implications for educators who desire to improve the effectiveness of their organizations and student achievement. An environment that promotes a sense of professional community, teacher efficacy, and a common commitment among stakeholders enhances teacher and student achievement. Principals willing to share leadership with teachers and parents have effective schools. They inspire and motivate teachers. Effective principals have high-energy levels. They listen to the people they serve. A school culture that encourages and rewards risk-taking serves to enhance teacher and student performance. Effective schools have positive, relaxed work environments. Principals that develop strong interpersonal relationships inside and outside the school positively influence student achievement and performance. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to identify leadership practices and processes that contributed to the success of a single High Needs, Title 1 elementary school that has experienced acknowledged superior academic success, particularly for its minoritized and low socioeconomically disadvantaged students, as indicated by the school's success on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests. The study sought to explore the principal's and teachers' conception of leadership for success and to examine what effective practices and processes were employed at a high-needs, high-performing campus that accounted for its success. The study applied the culturally responsive school leadership (CRSL) framework to analyze the practices employed at the school. Results of the study, from interviews with the principal and a focus group of three teachers, indicated that not only did they apply the principles of the CRSL framework, which employed the critical self awareness, culturally responsive curricula and teacher preparation in a culturally responsive and inclusive school environment which engaged parents and students in community contexts, but they also enhanced their effectiveness through the provision of additional resources for teachers and students, with a heavy reliance on data to guide academic decisions.

The purpose of this study was to describe the leadership practices of women superintendents of public school divisions. The researcher interviewed eight women superintendents in the Commonwealth of Virginia examining the participants' self-perceived leadership practices and their reflections of these practices. Data collection occurred through use of interviews, member checks, field notes, a reflexive journal and completion of the Leadership Practices Inventory-SELF. Descriptive accounts of the women's leadership practices in the context of their professional lived experiences and within the framework of transformational leadership theory are presented in a narrative format. Findings and conclusions, were determined by analyzing the collected data, the research question and the review of literature. The findings produced eight leadership practices: 1) use consistent and accurate communication with all stakeholders, 2) be visible, 3) use limited delegation, 4) be collaborative, 5) remain poised, 6) accept personal sacrifice of time and family, 7) exhibit confident, and 8) self-educate, be a quick learner. The findings concluded that women described their leadership practices as relationship building practices and practices incorporating issues of gender and silencing. An implication for future research included discussion for a study which would go beyond the self-described leadership practices of the women superintendents and examine how their leadership practices are implemented and perceived by stakeholders and employees. Data from these direct observations may offer further, detailed insights as to how the described leadership practices of this study are practiced, implemented and perceived by others. / Ph. D.

This study investigated the level of leadership practices and retention rates of freshman students at Texas Woman's University. The data for the study were collected using the Leadership Practices Inventory, Student Version. The sample for the study consisted of 151 freshman students. The students were each placed in one of three control groups. Group A students (the treatment group) were in the Neighbors Educated Together Program (NET). Group B students (control group) were in one of two university-sponsored programs (COLORS or University 1000), and Group C students (control group) were the residual group of first-time college freshmen. These three groups were surveyed prior to their participation in the NET program or a university-sponsored program and again at the end of 14 weeks. In addition, retention rates were examined on the 12 class day of the spring semester. The study found statistically significant differences (p <. 05) on the pretests and posttests between Group C, residual students, and the other two groups on the Enabling the Followers to Act subscale, the Inspiring a Shared Vision subscale, and Encouraging the Heart subscale. Group A, NET students, and Group B, COLORS/University 1000 students, showed no statistically significant differences between groups. The difference from the residual group could indicate that students who self-select into programs such as NET, COLORS, and University 1000 are more likely to engage in practices measured by the subscale prior to enrollment in the respective programs. No statistically significant differences were found on the Challenging the Process or Modeling the Way subscales. The lack of significance shows that there are no differences in practices for any of these groups prior to enrollment at the university or as a result of participation in a university-sponsored program such as NET, COLORS, or University 1000. A chi-square test was performed following the 12 class day for the Spring 2001 th semester. Approximately 89% of the students in Group C Residual, 97% of Group B COLORS/University 1000, and 91% of Group A NET were retained. The chi- square frequency test revealed no statistically significant differences in level of retention between groups.

This study, one of four cohort studies, was designed to determine the relationship between student performance and leadership practices as perceived by principals and selected site-based decision making committee members of middle schools in the Region 5 Education Service Center area of Texas. Using the Leadership Practices Inventory developed by Kouzes and Posner, the study compared the perceptions of middle school principals and selected observers regarding leadership practices. These leadership ratings were compared to student achievement for each campus in the study. In addition, the study examined if selected demographic variables impact the perception of leaders and observers in regard to leadership. For schools in this particular study, there was no direct correlation between perceived leadership practices of the principals and student achievement as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests. This was true of total LPI scores and also of each individual practice measured by the LPI. The data revealed that principals in the study rated themselves higher as a group than their observers rated them on the LPI. This trend was consistent for the total instrument and for each leadership practice. There were also similarities, however, between the two groups. The practice Model the Way had the highest mean for both groups, while Inspire a Shared Vision and Enable Others to Act were rated lower by both groups of respondents. A researcher-developed questionnaire was used to gather demographic information about each respondent. Years of experience, age group, gender, and ethnicity were all studied to determine if they had any effect on responses. The results indicate that there were some differences when principals and observers were studied separately, but these differences were minimized when the two groups were combined. Of particular interest was the fact that younger principals and less experienced principals rated themselves more conservatively than their older and more experienced colleagues. Younger observers and less experienced observers, however, had a propensity to rate their leader high when compared to older observers and more experienced observers. Neither ethnicity nor gender had an impact on leader ratings.

This thesis describes and analyses how the leadership culture is constructed by the leadership discourse and leadership practices, in the Swedish non-profit organisation ABF, the Workers Education Association. The theoretical framework for the study is based on the practice theory by Swidler (2001) who claim that culture conceptualizes as practices in interaction with discourse. The empirical material consists of policy documents for the study of leadership discourse, and twelve qualitative interviews with leaders about their leadership practices. The empirical results show that the leadership discourse is based on three concepts: Carrying of idéas, Communicating and Developing. The leadership practice of the organisation is demonstrated through six leadership approaches: The communicative, The democratic, The stringent, The development focused, The situated and The positive. These approaches are used in internal and external activities. The conclusion of the study is that there is a clear stringency between the leadership discourse and leadership practices within the organisation which creates the leadership culture within ABF. The values and approaches expressed in the leadership discourse are also described in the interviews as practiced by the leaders.

Most research indicates that effective principals usually involve teachers in some of the decision-making processes that take place in a school. When teachers feel they have a voice in decisions, they are more likely to take ownership in their school. Great leaders have the power to change their school either for the advancement of the establishment, or they can bring about negativity in the workplace. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences on the 5 dimensions of the Kouzes-Posner Leadership Practices Inventory (Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart) between teachers’ scores and their principal’s score for participants in this study, and to determine if a relationship existed between teachers’ scores on the Purdue Teacher Opinionaire and their principal’s Leadership Practices Inventory score. For this research data were collected from 10 schools in a school system in East Tennessee that contained kindergarten through eighth grade. These schools are classified in 3 categories: kindergarten through eighth grade, third through fifth grade, or sixth through eighth grade. There were 208 participating teachers in the school system who teach kindergarten through eighth grade. One-sample t-tests were used to compare the principal’s Leadership Practice Inventory score to teachers’ Leadership Practice Inventory scores at each of the 10 participating schools. Scores for teachers and their principal were not significantly different for any of the 5 dimensions for Schools 1, 2, 9, and 10. School 8 displayed a significant difference for 3 of the 5 dimensions. The means were significantly different for Schools 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 on all 5 of the dimensions. The relationship as measured by Pearson correlation coefficients between the Leadership Practices Inventory and the Purdue Teacher Opinionaire for teachers at the 10 participating schools displayed similar mixed results.

Head Start, the largest early childhood organization in the United States, was federally mandated to employ bachelor degreed operational employees, with no additional funds. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore effective strategies that successful leaders of Head Start Nonprofit Organizations use to retain operational employees. The population of this study included 5 Head Start CEOs/Program Directors in 5 Head Start nonprofit organizations in Alabama who successfully retained operational employees in their organization. Kouzes and Posner's transformational leadership theory provided a conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected via telephone interviews and employee records from the human resources department. Reviewed human resource documents included the highest level of credentials for the leader, the policy for degree requirement for operational employees, and the number of operational employees, and the participants' highest level of education. The data were analyzed using inductive analysis which consisted of a line-by-line approach to review data identifying words, phrases, ideas, and actions consistent among participants and organizations to identify patterns and themes. Results indicated that Head Start leaders used incentives, continuous training, educational support, and job benefits to retain their operational employees. The implications for social change include the potential for young children to receive optimal teaching and caregiving from retained qualified operational employees.

ABSTRACT PASTORAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICES IN EVANGELICAL MULTIETHNIC CONGREGATIONS: A MULTI-CASE STUDY Raúl Martin Latoni Ramírez, Ed.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2012 Chair: Dr. Hal K. Pettegrew The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the best leadership practices of pastors of selected evangelical multiethnic congregations in the United States. The study was qualitative in nature and can best be described as a multiple or collective case study with purposeful sampling. The sample consisted of 30 pastors, including 6 women and 24 men, from 6 multiethnic congregations. The churches were located in 6 different regions of the country: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, West, and Southwest. The denominations represented in these churches included Independent Charismatic, Vineyard, Assemblies of God, Baptist, and Independent. The researcher used a revised version of the Personal Best Questionnaire as the primary means for collecting data (Kouzes and Posner 1987). This was completed by all participants who, in addition, completed a demographic data form created by the researcher. In order to triangulate the data, the researcher also incorporated data from personal observations during visits to each of these churches and from interviews with the senior pastor at the 6 churches. The gatekeeper or designated person at each church was also asked to fill out a questionnaire to provide demographic data pertaining to the church. The responses provided by the participants in this study confirmed and correlated well with the five practices of exemplary leadership proposed by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner. The impetus for the participants' best practices came from personal conviction, perceived need, personal passion, leadership directive, and challenging the status quo. Over a third of the pastors responded to a perceived need, demonstrating that leaders do not always seek challenges; challenges seek leaders. Others initiated change in response to a perceived dissonance between personal or corporate values and current ministerial practices. Senior pastors were more likely than associate/assistant pastors to initiate change based on personal convictions. Other responses closely related to implementing change focused on pastors' behavior of developing and implementing a specific vision for their ministries. Senior pastors relied primarily on preaching and teaching to communicate their vision. Overall, respondents reported that the primary means to communicate vision and the need for change was by developing slogans and through the use of testimonies in various settings of the church. In order to build cohesiveness and promote trust in leadership, a majority of the participants reported the importance of building personal relationships with their church members. While senior pastors relied mostly on vision casting to foster collaboration in their respective ministries, associate pastors were more likely to foster collaboration through personal relationship development. Also, female pastors were twice as likely as their male counterparts to use personal words of affirmation to enhance the confidence of individuals in their abilities, thereby furthering their relationships with congregational members. One of the ways in which the participants fostered accountability was by modeling transparency, vulnerability, and honesty in communication. The researcher identified three primary spheres for modeling behavior among the participants: personal, organizational, and public. While associate pastors reported modeling behavior in one or two of these spheres, senior pastors demonstrated modeling behavior in all three spheres. KEYWORDS: Pastoral, leadership, multiethnic churches, evangelical, best leadership practices.

There is a common thread of leadership research that theorizes the dynamic between a leader's behavior and their followers is essential in encouraging employees to exceed expectations, thereby increasing organizational performance (Bass, 1985; Bennis & Thomas, 2002; Kouzes & Posner, 1987). Research indicates transformational leadership correlates well with organizational culture, but the number of empirical studies is few. Kouzes and Posner (2002) maintain that organizations create culture; therefore a leader's behavior can and does affect organizational performance. Schein (2004) maintains it is leadership's duty to step outside the organizational culture to initiate changes (by their behavior) when warranted. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between employee perceived leadership practices and organizational culture within the aerospace industry. The U.S. space shuttle operations prime contractor, United Space Alliance, was selected as the population for this research. This research addresses the current dilemma in NASA's manned spaceflight program and their contractors with regard to their future: Organizational and cultural change must occur or routine access to space for the United States will become obsolete (Bergin, 2007; Guthrie & Shayo, 2005; Mason, 2004). United Space Alliance provides a unique population within which to sample, as it is a joint venture LLC with employees of varying heritage companies and job occupations. Use of Kouzes and Posner's Leadership Practices Inventory-Other (LPI-O) and the Denison Organizational Culture Survey (DOCS) have not been performed in such an environment. Web-based surveys collected data from the Manufacturing and Operations directorate (N = 1793). A total of 367 surveys were completed for an initial response rate of 20.47%. Both the LPI-O and DOCS raw mean scores were compared against published databases; only the Enabling Others to Act practice scored as a moderate impact. Customer focus scored the highest amongst cultural indices, with all three Mission indices ranking in the lowest percentiles. Regression analyses indicated neither leadership practices nor cultural traits explained any differences within respondents. Hierarchical regression revealed the five leadership practices accounted for 24% of the Total Culture variance. Pearson's Product-Moment correlation examined the strength of linear association between the variables. This study provided statistically significant (ñ < .05), weak to moderate positive correlation coefficients for all hypothesized relationships.