Browsing by Subject "School leadership"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    THE DUAL PRESENCE OF PROMISE AND INEQUITY: A PRAGMATIC INQUIRY INTO HOW HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PERCEIVE THEIR VOICE
    (2022-04) Virgin, Robb
    In the present study, I attempted to understand how students perceive their voice in the 2900 student public high school where I serve as principal. The study is a qualitative inquiry that combines human-centered design and action research for its conceptual framework. My dual roles of researcher and principal influenced every aspect of this project, from its initial imagination all the way to the construction of this dissertation. Data on how students perceive their voice at Valley View High School (VVHS) were collected via focus groups, interviews, surveys, and specific student voice initiatives directly involving a total of 31 students. Participants were diverse by race, age, and gender. A schoolwide student survey and crowdsourced innovation event provide contextual insights. Across the data sets, participants’ deep interest in having their voice heard was apparent, as was their belief that their voice improves the school. Inequitable perceptions of who was heard were also consistently found. These two findings combine to create what is referred to here as the “dual presence of promise and inequity.” Additional specific findings include students’ interest in having a voice in the classroom, crowdsourcing as an effective student voice strategy, and the importance of follow-through from adults following student voice experiences. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of how the dual presence of a belief in the promise of student voice and inequitable experiences can be navigated. Recommended work areas within this dual presence are disrupting whose voice is (and is not) at the table, intentional creation of opportunities for student voice, creating and supporting a culture of student voice, and following through on our commitments. Recommendations for further study are in the areas of adult perception of student voice, specific student voice strategies at the classroom level, and, more specifically, Black or African American and Hispanic/Latino student voice experiences in the classroom. Future actions will be taken within the same conceptual framework of the present study, which is based on an iterative relationship between action and investigation.
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    School and District Leadership for Long-Term English Learners: An Interview Study
    (2020-12) Halloran, Clare
    Purpose: In recent years, there has been growing awareness among educators and researchers about long-term English learners (LTELs). Unfortunately, there is limited information on how leaders are supporting their LTELs, particularly at the high school level, or on these students’ key characteristics in Minnesota. The purpose of this study was to explore how district and school leaders identify and support LTELs in Minnesota high schools, as well as to explore key characteristics of the state’s LTELs. Research Methods: This qualitative study examined data from 17 interviews with school and district leaders across eight school districts in Minnesota, as well as de-identified student demographic information and academic performance data from the Minnesota Department of Education. Findings: This study identified four key findings: (a) No leaders identified a formal districtwide definition for LTELs, with some leaders citing little to no familiarity with the term “LTEL”; (b) LTELs represent nearly 40 percent of Minnesota’s high school EL population. The majority of LTELs in study districts reached Levels 3 and 4 on the ACCESS assessment, with listening as their strongest area and speaking as their weakest domain; (c) Leaders indicated that a primary barrier for LTELs is that they are not receiving the instruction they need in general education classrooms; (d) Leaders primarily reported meeting their LTELs’ needs through co-taught instruction, school-district collaborations, and strong high school EL staff. Conclusions and Implications: This study concludes that a first step in addressing LTELs’ needs would be for district leaders to establish and communicate a definition for LTELs so that decisions about serving those students can be made with consistency. In addition, district and school leaders need to seek ways to collaborate to address diverse EL needs at the secondary level, including reviewing student schedules and school programming, hiring EL staff, and reviewing EL instructional models. Leadership preparation programs can also assist in improving LTELs’ education by including content about the diversity of the EL student population, the process of EL language acquisition, language assessments, and how to support a schoolwide focus on academic language.
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    Supporting Professional Capacity of Teachers Through Teacher Evaluation
    (2020-12) RYU, JISU
    In many countries, teacher evaluation has been viewed as a policy lever to improve the quality of teaching and student achievement. Recent research suggests that teacher evaluation can also be implemented as a mechanism for professional growth with careful consideration of the organizational context. However, few studies have examined the way in which a teacher evaluation policy may result in the improvement of teaching. Two key features of effective teacher evaluation are first, balancing the two purposes of accountability and professional growth and second, implementing teacher evaluation policies with a shared responsibility among teachers, administrators, and government agencies. This dissertation explored the applicability of this analytical framework within schools by examining associations among teacher evaluation outcomes, their impact on various aspects of teaching, and a school climate of shared responsibility. The framework was used to examine teacher evaluation in four countries: the U.S., Finland, South Korea, and Japan. This study delved into the following questions: (1) How are national teacher evaluation policies implemented at the local level in four countries? (2) How are teacher evaluation policies and school climate associated with teachers’ perceived professional capacity in four countries? (3) How are teacher evaluations associated with teachers’ professional capacities when evaluation is accompanied by support of teacher professional growth? These research questions were investigated using the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2013 surveys of principals and teachers. The findings showed that, despite differences in national policies to reform teacher evaluation, teachers in all four countries still viewed teacher evaluation largely as an administrative requirement. However, further analysis revealed that teachers were more likely to perceive that teacher evaluation was positively associated with their professional capacities when it was coupled with school-level actions to support their professional growth and a school-level climate of shared responsibility. Because teacher evaluation policies exist in most countries, the potential impact of improved implementation at local and national levels could be substantial.