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Integrated Quality Management System is a model used for appraising teachers in South Africa and has been in use post-1994. The study shed light on the historical development that shaped the current model used for appraising teachers, especially after 1994. IQMS as a model for appraisal was introduced as a direct response after the collapse of the inspection system which was autocratic and highly subjective. Using a case study approach, two schools in Soweto were purposefully selected because of the strong leadership and data was collected from eleven teachers and two principals. The study aims to investigate the role of the school leadership in mediating IQMS at school level. The study employed interviews, questionnaires and document analysis. The research is concerned with the lived experiences of individual teachers in the confines of the environment that they are most comfortable in. This research was taken from the interpretivist position which views the world as constructed by means of multi perspectives. The study argues that the leadership at school level has a prominent role to play in mediating IQMS despite the tensions inherent therein.

International education is an area of education that, over the last forty years, has grown in size and significance. International schools are one of many vehicles for the delivery of international education and are growing in number and variety. In addition, the value placed by society on an international education and those curricular programs that promote international education continue to develop. International schools are, therefore, becoming an important and growing area of education. In general terms the amount of research on such schools is limited when compared to national education systems and national schools. The growth in the number of international schools has been accompanied by a growth in the variety of such schools and the diversity of foundations, governance models and missions that support them. This diversity and my experience in international school leadership, allied to my interest in school improvement and school effectiveness as it pertains to the field of international schools, led to an interest in how models of governance impact on international school leadership and – through the leadership – on school improvement and development. This research enquiry is a case study, based on evidence produced through three different research methods; individual school studies, a questionnaire and expert interviews. The use of three methods of data gathering allowed for a complex area to be examined and the results to be triangulated. The results of the case study serve to illuminate the area and to suggest future avenues of research. One area of particular interest that was identified through the study was the interaction within the leadership structures of the schools and the relationships between the head of school, governors and model of governance. It would appear from the results of the study that those models of governance that relied on high numbers of elected parents of students currently attending the school produced a much higher turnover of heads and chairs of boards than did others. The interaction between head, chair of the school board and overall board members also appeared to affect the length of time people served in these posts. Following discussion of such issues, the implications of governance model and rate of turnover for the leadership, development and improvement of international schools are further examined and discussed. The process of conducting this enquiry, while time consuming and demanding, has been of huge benefit to me both personally and professionally. I have enjoyed the challenge and particularly gained from the greater professional insight developed during the study.

Public school leaders routinely overlook the talents and contributions of blue-collar support staff that can and do play viable roles in the success of schools. Somewhat ironically, a common piece of advice given to first year teachers by more experienced mentors is, “Get to know the school secretary and custodian – everybody knows they really run the school.” Although this phrase is commonly bantered about by educators and informal school lore accords it the status of truth, the school leadership research literature is virtually silent about the contributions such workers can make. In Texas, where there are over one thousand school districts, many of which are rural and “stepping stones” for career track administrators, it is these community members who work as the secretaries, bus drivers, and custodians that many times serve as the cultural glue helping these districts survive. These invisible workers make important contributions to the coherency of the culture and mission of the school. My white maternal grandfather worked as a custodian in a rural school district for more than fifty-three years. Within the past five years, in the course of conversation, two casual acquaintances volunteered information regarding my grandfather’s contributions as a custodian in that school district that later I realized were instrumental in the sense of the project coming to me (Cole & Knowles, 2001). As a rural school custodian with a third grade education, my grandfather lived with multiple oppressive forces in his life. The lack of opportunity for education, the low socio-economic status of his rural family, the marginalization that society deals to those persons who choose dirty work (Meagher, 2002), and the sometimes overt, but often just an unintentional, power struggle with school leadership were all oppressive forces in his life. Whether he consciously realized it or not, my grandfather’s behavior (as evidenced by informant conversations) revealed this oppression. He survived, even thrived, and dealt with this oppression through the most effective means he knew of and obviously honed throughout his lifetime. My grandfather used humor as a means of survival. My grandfather was a master storyteller. This is his story.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of La Verne, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 236-244).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of La Verne, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 236-244).

Between 1998 and 2000, seventy principals were named in the Austin Independent School District to succeed other principals. Several schools had two or more principals in that period. Not only is there an immediate cost when a principal is not successful, but there is also a cost associated with repair or replacement. Knowing what is necessary in the induction experience to make a principal succeed is critical. We have an obligation to these principals, their teachers, the taxpayers, and most of all, the students, to maximize their success. This study explored the experiences of elementary principals in the Austin Independent School District who recently succeeded other principals. Issues addressed included the principals' perceptions of their experiences and the impact of those experiences on their effectiveness. Findings will be offered as recommendations that may better inform principals who step into the succession role in the district. Questionnaires were sent to elementary principals named between 1998 and 1999 and still in those same schools in 2001-2002. Based on responses, principals were invited to participate in focus groups. Based on written responses and participation in focus groups, three principals were selected as case studies. Data revealed that succession principals had positive experiences including communication with others, establishment of procedures and routines, relationship building, and knowledge of district policies and procedures. Negative experiences included the effects of prior school leadership, challenging relationships, communication issues, and lack of support. As a result of these experiences, principals developed inner strength and powerful relationships with peers. It was recommended that support for succession principals continue beyond the induction year and include: trained mentors; time to dialogue with mentors and peer principals; quick responses to questions or requests for support; and receipt, early in the process, of critical information regarding role definition, expectations, district policies, and district procedures. Recommendations for further study included: investigating the succession experiences of secondary principals; comparing the succession experiences of principals named from within the district to those named from outside the district; and studying the relationship between the rate of principal retention and teacher retention.

Very little research exists around the implementation of innovative practices in traditional public schools. However, research indicates that innovation and creation of an organizational culture and climate that fosters innovation are both practices associated with improvement in overall organizational performance. This study aims to examine leadership practices, both at the school and district levels, which support the implementation of a radical innovation in traditional public schools. Specifically, this study asks three key questions: How did the plan to implement personalized learning develop, how did district and school leaders gain acceptance for the implementation, and how did Very little research exists around the implementation of innovative practices in traditional public schools. However, research indicates that innovation and creation of an organizational culture and climate that fosters innovation are both practices associated with improvement in overall organizational performance. This study aims to examine leadership practices, both at the school and district levels, which support the implementation of a radical innovation in traditional public schools. Specifically, this study asks three key questions: How did the plan to implement personalized learning develop, how did district and school leaders gain acceptance for the implementation, and how did school leaders manage school climate change during the implementation? In this context, radical innovation is defined as an innovation that significantly changes the ways in which the school organization operates and delivers education to students (Zaltman, Duncan, & Holbek, 1973). / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This research study explores the intersection of school leadership and ethics. This study used the hermeneutic phenomenological approach described by Max Van Manen (1990, 2014) to explore the question: How do school leaders experience ethical dilemmas in their role as school leaders? Hermeneutic phenomenology seeks to find the meaning of a phenomenon, which in this case is the experience of an ethical dilemma. Hermeneutic refers to the interpretive-reflective-analytical component and phenomenological refers to the descriptive concrete life-experience phenomenon component (Creswell, 2007; Van Manen, 1990, 2014; Vagle, 2014). This study looked at experiences recounted by four practicing school leaders and found that the experience of an ethical dilemma involves contemplating (cognition) the uncertainty (chance) about the moral merit (values conflict) of a situation and ones capacity (power) and opportunity (options) to act in response. The lived experience themes of time and being watched were also found to be of particular relevance. These hermeneutic themes were drawn from experiences that the school leaders who participated in the study shared during rounds of conversational and analytical interviews. 'Lived experience is the starting point and the end point of phenomenological research....[which] is to transform lived experience into a textual expression of its essence' (Van Manen 1990, p 36). The experiences include experiences of ethical dilemmas regarding student behavior, teacher supervision, program changes, decisions that other school leaders make, parents, and complex systems with multiple actors. / Ph. D.

The challenges of school accountability call for new models of school leadership. Teacher leaders are needed to create, implement, and sustain reform efforts. This study investigated whether a specific model of professional development, National Board Certification (NBC), can create sustained change aimed at improved school leadership. The research question which guided this study was: Does the National Board Certification professional development model contribute to school leadership in Louisiana? The state of Louisiana currently has approximately 1,000 teachers with National Board Certification (NBPTS, 2006f). These NBC teachers and approximately 3,000 non-NBC teachers received the online School Leadership Survey, which included survey items taken from a previous study of NBC teachers by Sykes, et al. (2006). A total of 449 NBC teachers and 911 non-NBC teachers responded. The survey included 32 checklist items which explored teacher leadership activities and perceptions in five main areas: types of leadership activities, sense of responsibility to the profession, influence in school-wide policy development, career satisfaction, and future commitment to the teaching profession. A quantitative research design was applied. The research followed an ex post facto, cross-sectional survey model in an attempt to identify a relationship between the independent variable, National Board Certification, and the dependent variable, school leadership, by comparing the leadership activities of NBC and non-NBC teachers. Univariate analysis was used to examine and report the results of the School Leadership Survey. Additionally, the data were used to calculate independent t-tests, factor analysis, chi square tests, and regression analysis.The results of this study revealed that, overall, National Board Certification teachers are leaders in their schools and beyond. When compared to their non-NBC peers, NBC teachers were more likely to be involved in leadership activities at the school, district, and state level. Further, the NBC teachers reported a greater sense of responsibility to the profession, greater career satisfaction, and a deeper commitment to stay in the teaching profession than non-NBC teachers. Using a distributed leadership conceptual framework as a lens to guide the interpretation, the data collected gave evidence that the benefits of National Board Certification are far greater than previously suspected.