The research study focused on assessing implementation of the turnaround management strategies in a water board. The location of the study was a water board located in the economic heart of South Africa, Rand Water. The objectives of the study were; (a) to evaluate the turnaround plans implemented in the water sector, (b) to uncover success factors attained when undertaking turnaround plans, (c) to assess selected case studies dealing with the turnaround management strategies in selected industries, and lastly (e) to derive an understanding on determinants and factors that cut across the turnaround plans. The research approach that premised the study was quantitative methodology, which involved distribution of questionnaires as part of field work in the water board. The questionnaires were analysed through statistical approach, and further linked back to the problem statement posed to the research study. Some assumptions were utilized for conducting the research project, including the statistically acceptable sample. The area of focus in the water board was Strategic Asset Management Division which was selected because of its huge impact in the planning and execution of the capital projects. Infrastructure or capital projects form the core of the business sustainability; they ensure the future of the water as well as the region of the country. Various literatures were reviewed pertaining to the turnaround management strategies and certain inferences were made. The results provide interesting relationships between variables that can be explored further. There were certain biases that were obtained, and in certain cases there was no relationships between variables and in most cases there were positive relationships. The turnaround management strategies are extensively carried out across the industries. It can be concluded from the research study that there are certain phenomenona that can be derived from the turnaround plans. It can also be deduced that certain factors or determinants demonstrate a better behaviour than others when tested in the turnaround management environment. Models can be developed utilizing regression tools pertaining to the turnaround plans and adaptation of these models based on conditions or certain unique aspects is recommended to be done. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between office politics and selected performance outcomes namely stress, turnaround intent and work engagement, as perceived by employees working in law firms. A literature study indicated the relationship between perceptions of office politics and these selected job outcomes. As an empirical analysis, a measuring instrument consisting of five structured questionnaires was distributed via a non-probability, convenience sampling technique. Spearman’s correlation coefficient indicated the relationships between the variables. The results indicated a positive relationship between perceptions of office politics, job stress, burnout and turnaround intent but a negative relationship between perceptions of office politics and work engagement as well as its antecedents. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The research study focused on assessing implementation of the turnaround management strategies in a water board. The location of the study was a water board located in the economic heart of South Africa, Rand Water. The objectives of the study were; (a) to evaluate the turnaround plans implemented in the water sector, (b) to uncover success factors attained when undertaking turnaround plans, (c) to assess selected case studies dealing with the turnaround management strategies in selected industries, and lastly (e) to derive an understanding on determinants and factors that cut across the turnaround plans. The research approach that premised the study was quantitative methodology, which involved distribution of questionnaires as part of field work in the water board. The questionnaires were analysed through statistical approach, and further linked back to the problem statement posed to the research study. Some assumptions were utilized for conducting the research project, including the statistically acceptable sample. The area of focus in the water board was Strategic Asset Management Division which was selected because of its huge impact in the planning and execution of the capital projects. Infrastructure or capital projects form the core of the business sustainability; they ensure the future of the water as well as the region of the country. Various literatures were reviewed pertaining to the turnaround management strategies and certain inferences were made. The results provide interesting relationships between variables that can be explored further. There were certain biases that were obtained, and in certain cases there was no relationships between variables and in most cases there were positive relationships. The turnaround management strategies are extensively carried out across the industries. It can be concluded from the research study that there are certain phenomenona that can be derived from the turnaround plans. It can also be deduced that certain factors or determinants demonstrate a better behaviour than others when tested in the turnaround management environment. Models can be developed utilizing regression tools pertaining to the turnaround plans and adaptation of these models based on conditions or certain unique aspects is recommended to be done. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Thesis advisor: Martin Scanlan / This qualitative case study explored the role of central office leaders in supporting autonomy and accountability in the Lawrence Public Schools. One of the key strategies of central office transformation is the creation of assistance relationships with principals (Honig et al., 2010), which serves as the conceptual framework for this study. Data was gathered from interviews with and observations of central office leaders and principals as well as a document review. The results of the study found that principals were granted broad autonomy in several areas of school leadership that resulted in improved student outcomes. Findings further noted that central office leaders engaged in assistance relationships and employed the key practices in their efforts to support principals. Principals reported that central office leaders employed these practices in each of the four decision-making areas of building leadership; budget, staffing, curriculum and assessment, and scheduling. While enacting autonomy for principals in building decision-making, central office leaders executed a “customer-service culture” of support. Recommendations include continual examination of assistance relationships among central office leaders in support of principals’ autonomy in the context of a turnaround district. Future researchers may continue to contribute to the growing body of literature by examining these findings and offering a longitudinal view of this practice. This strands’ findings may begin to provide insights into strategies that will add to school improvement efforts for chronically underperforming schools and districts. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Martin Scanlan / District improvement research highlights the importance of central office leaders and building principals in reform efforts. A growing body of literature emphasizes the importance of the relationship between central office leaders and principals in the context of turnaround school reform. Drawing on research from Honig (2012), the assistance relationship consistently surfaced as a key element of success when selecting and implementing learning time as a turnaround measure. This study aims to explore the assistance relationship between central office leaders and principals in the selection and implementation of learning time. This qualitative study draws upon observations and document review to answer the research questions, and is one strand of a larger research project studying how central office leaders support principals through an assistance relationship in a district in receivership. This individual strand concludes that the selection and implementation of learning time opportunities, without consideration to the principals and without the assistance of central office leaders, can’t happen. This strand advances our understanding of how an effective assistance relationship can work in a district in receivership. I concluded that central office leaders and principals interviewed selected and implemented like learning time opportunities. Future researchers may continue to enrich this growing body of literature by examining these findings and testing all or some of the five key practices in a like district. The results, implications for districts in receivership, and future research are discussed. This strand’s findings can serve as a companion for central office leaders who are working with principals to select and implement learning time opportunities in order to improving achievement levels in underperforming schools and districts across our country. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Rebecca Lowenhaupt / Thesis advisor: Lauri Johnson / This single case study examines how stakeholders of a local education agency (LEA) understand and implement state turnaround policy for its chronically underperforming schools. While there is ample research on how to improve chronically underperforming schools, a research gap exists specifically around addressing implementation of mandated turnaround policy. This qualitative study uses the theory frame of policy sense-making to identify how implementers come to understand turnaround policy and to explore how that sense-making impacts their implementation decisions. This study seeks to understand the role of central office in turnaround policy sense-making by collecting data on superintendent and central office administrator sense-making and its impact on policy implementation. While recent research on school improvement has focused on school improvement actions and responsibilities of principals and teachers, this study seeks to address the research gap of the essential role of school district offices in school turnaround. In seeking to understand how district leaders make sense of turnaround policy implementation to support school turnaround, the findings revealed that the superintendent and central office administrators identified strong superintendent leadership, monitoring and supporting schools, strategic distribution of resources, and management of human capital as key implementer actions and areas of influence. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Martin Scanlan / This qualitative case study examined leaders’ shared data use, a process of translating data into action (Bernhardt, 2013). Understanding data use is considered conceptually by attending to the assistance relationships shared between central office leaders and principals in the context of turnaround. Such relationships are marked by occasions during which members share expertise by modeling practices; the modeling informs how systems, structures and subsequent practices are introduced and even reinforced for newer members. I focused my analysis on four manifestations of data use: data’s influence on adjusting leadership practice, data’s ability to inform instruction, data use’s benefits from technological advancement, and the intentional promotion of resilience. Data collection included document review as well as interviews with central office leaders and principals. Findings evidenced the nature of both central office leaders’ and principals’ data use as well as revealed a remarkable degree of commonality in the language and practices these leaders shared. The results of this study indicated that assistance relationships are a functioning element of leadership in the turnaround context. This study supported the research that leaders’ shared practice of data use benefits student growth and achievement in line with state-determined assessment and accountability targets. Recommendations include additional research into Lawrence Public Schools’ data use to further inform a blueprint for comprehensive district-wide reform as well as the development of exit criteria from receivership. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Rebecca J. Lowenhaupt / Background: Examining the underlying social networks of a central office leadership team in a school district focused on accelerated improvement may provide insight into the organizational structures that support or constrain improvement efforts. These networks play a critical role in identifying strategies and practices that will enable district leaders to better support marginalized student populations and strive toward the goal of halving the achievement gap for all students. Purpose and Research Questions: The purpose of this individual research study is to carefully examine and analyze the structure of social relations in a school district under sanction, aiming to answer the following research question: How do social networks between and among district leaders relate to turnaround efforts designed to support marginalized populations? Methods: This study applies social network theory of central office leadership and relationships within a public school district aimed to accelerate improvement and support traditionally marginalized students. The network boundary is limited to central office administrators. In concert with the Dissertation in Practice (DIP), this individual study was designed to be emergent and flexible. Data sources include semi-structured interviews and document review. Findings: This study found that day-to-day, central office administrators in one turnaround district, rely heavily on a high number of external ties. The advice network is highly centralized around two key players which may constrain the exchange of advice or knowledge and ultimately slows or inhibits efforts designed to improve outcomes for marginalized student populations. High personnel turnover and lack of network stability are to be expected in a turnaround district, however, it has a ripple effect on the district’s ability to establish systems and structures that facilitate accelerated improvement for marginalized student populations. Significance. Organizational change is often socially constructed. Understanding which actors have positive influences and positive social relations will ensure that formal and informal network roles are identified and maximized to their full potential. Social network analysis has the potential to provide school districts information regarding the capacity of central office administrators to implement accelerated improvements. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Rebecca Lowenhaupht / Abstract Purpose and Research Questions: To understand central office leadership, it is necessary to examine how language grounds leaders’ actions, and influences their effectiveness among themselves and with stakeholders, including other central office leaders, building principals, teachers, community and students. This study explores the relationship between central office administrators’ language and their support of historically marginalized students. Looking closely at how language shows commonality or disconnect in understanding and action, this study is guided by the following research questions: (1) What language do leaders use to talk about their work with marginalized populations? (2) How does this language influence practice? Methods: This qualitative case study analyzes with the use of discourse analysis the language of central office administrators and their work in support of historically marginalized populations, using semi-structured interviews, and document review to answer the aforementioned research questions. This is one section of a larger research project studying how central office administrators organize their work in support of marginalized populations. Findings: Turnaround districts such as the district in this case study face complex and urgent issues, which seem to influence the language central office administrator’s use. In this study, central office administrators expressed language of frustration to talk about lack of time. Second, central office administrators used language that either recognized or demonstrated implicit bias in what marginalized populations heard or saw. Third, central office administrators relied on expressions of mandated language when they communicated about their work in support of marginalized populations, and lastly, central office administrators used language of care to talk about why they worked in a turnaround district. Significance: Given the importance of communication in district leadership, practitioners should work to establish and integrate consistent language into practice. Researchers will find it a valuable contribution to examine the outcomes of central office administrators’ language use in supporting traditionally marginalized student populations, as research is limited. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Andrew Hargreaves / This exploratory case study examines the experience of twelve women teachers who taught in two state-controlled school districts that had been taken over by the state authorities due to low academic performance and operational mismanagement. The qualitative methodology of exploratory comparative case analysis allowed for the consideration of the two districts as two parts of the same case, and the foundation for future research in this field (Streb, 2010). Twelve semi-structured interviews, teacher climate survey responses, and fifty-three state government documents were analyzed using an iterative coding process (Yin, 2015, pp. 196-197; Saldaña, 2015). The analysis found that structural and cultural barriers prevented the study participants from succeeding personally and professionally. Their skills as experienced educators were under-utilized and their perspectives as women were not acknowledged. Structurally, the internal organization of the districts asked a great deal of the teachers without recognizing them as professionals or women. Culturally, their gender identities as women placed them at a disadvantage with school and district leadership. The gendered barriers were woven into the fabric of the workplace so that the women teachers were unable to have access to those with power or influence. This study lays the groundwork for larger research endeavors on women in state-controlled schools, as well as policy implications for the state control of public schools and school turnaround. This study contributes to the field by specifically bringing women teachers’ voices into the discussion of school reform and improvement. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.