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The cornerstone of transformational leadership is vision. For our school leaders to act as more than middle managers, they have to foster a school community's vision - cultivate the school community's direction and purpose. This qualitative study uses semi-structured interviews with school leaders and following focus groups with their teachers to understand better how principals develop and instantiate their vision and how this vision is perceived to have manifested by the school community. This study was designed to answer the questions of (1) do principals have a clearly defined personal vision for the schools they serve, and in what ways do they enact their vision?, (2) what professional and training experiences contribute to how a principal develops a vision for a school?, (3) what the relationship between the articulated vision and the culture of the school? The four themes that emerged from this study were that ( 1 ) principals have guiding statements that serve the same purpose as a formal vision that gives them and their school communities direction for the work, (2) principals primarily invest their teams in a shared vision through a visioning process, (3) principals most cited avenue for vision development was through working with others, and (4) principals whose articulated vision most aligned with the culture of the school were successfully able to operationalize the vision. The recommendations and implications for all stakeholders from this research are that (1) principals are trained taught how to develop guiding statements, (2) principals are taught how to invest others in a shared vision, (3) the importance of mentor matching and principal reflection in the principal training and development process, and (4) principals are taught how to operationalize their vision through ongoing coaching and support. / Educational Administration

The purpose of this study was to determine if the teachers in Sullivan County perceive that principals used the same leadership practices as the principals reported they use. The researcher used the survey method of data collection in which 897 teachers were given the opportunity to participate and 576 teachers returned completed surveys (63.2%). In addition, 29 out of 29 principals participated in the research (100%). The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) (Kouzes & Posner, 2003a) was used to gather information regarding the principals' leadership practices. Principals self-reported their perception of their leadership practices, whereas teachers reported their perceptions of their principals' leadership practices. Two major findings of this study were that principals reported significantly higher levels of each leadership practice than both the Kouzes-Posner norms and their teachers' perceptions of their principals' leadership practices. In addition, there was no difference between male and female teachers' perceptions of their male principals' leadership practices. However, there were significant differences between male and female teachers' perceptions of their female principals' leadership practices for all five behaviors. In each case, male teachers evaluated their female principals' leadership practices higher than did female teachers.

Swedish school law stipulates that the work of student health teams in schools should be mainly health promoting. However, earlier scientific studies and reports from authorities show that most schools work aren’t. The aim of this study is to investigate how principals in five upper secondary schools organize and lead the health promoting work and what challenges they experience in their leadership with regards to health promoting work. The study is qualitative, based on a content analysis of semi-structured interviews with five upper secondary principals in Sweden. The results of the study show that even though the principals have access to interprofessional health teams and good organizational structures the student health work in four out of five schools mainly focus on remedial work and that more must be done in order develop their health promoting work. More focus must be appointed to developing teaching and teachers and student health team personnel must work closely together. In addition, principals must integrate their health promoting work in the systematic quality work of the school.

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.