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Principals' leadership effectiveness and implementation of middle school philosophy
Abstract
The purpose for conducting this qualitative multicase study was to increase the understanding of principals' leadership behaviors and their use of change strategies as they implemented middle school philosophy in newly constructed buildings. Middle school philosophy generally refers to a school program that focuses on the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual needs of preadolescents. Specifically, the researcher attempted to: (a) identify and characterize principals' actions as they managed change while implementing a middle school philosophy in a newly constructed building, and (b) generate explanations that extended the understanding of the process used by principals to implement innovations that require philosophical changes for middle level buildings. Initially, data were collected in a new Nebraska middle school from its principal and key informants (i.e. team leaders, media specialist, special education instructor, two exploratory teachers, two parents, and board of education member). Semi-structured interviews served as the primary means of collecting data. Documents and archival records were examined. Data from the Nebraska case were analyzed as they were collected and coded into meaningful categories. From these data, an initial hypothesis explaining how principals guide the implementation process was developed. The second phase of data collection was conducted through telephone interviews. Six additional principals of new middle schools located in the United States and Canada were interviewed. Data collected from these participants were analyzed using a constant comparative method. Grounded theory principles were used to analyze data and formulate theory explaining the leadership role in the implementation process. A case report presents the findings, newly developed grounded theory, and implications for further study. The Nebraska school was described in the classic narrative mode of single case studies. Collaborative or disputatious evidence found in the other six cases was reported in a cross-case analysis section. Examples from these cases have been presented to support an overarching explanation of leadership behaviors that occur in succession during implementation of middle school philosophy. Findings of the study indicated that the following leadership behaviors are conducive to implementing middle school philosophy in a newly-constructed building: (a) codify the parameters of middle school philosophy (b) share the vision with key stakeholders, (c) create initial policy within the original parameters, (d) hire as many staff members as possible who are flexible, collaborative, and student-centered, (e) educate the staff about middle school philosophy, (f) create a collaborative environment that encourages planning to meet a specific group of students' needs, (g) communicate with and educate the community about middle school philosophy, and (h) keep the vision alive by reiterating the original vision of middle level philosophy often and in a variety of ways.
Subject Area
School administration|Secondary education|Educational theory
Recommended Citation
Fuller, Nancy Lee, "Principals' leadership effectiveness and implementation of middle school philosophy" (1997). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9730271.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9730271