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Three case studies of elementary school principals identified as instructional leaders
Abstract
The instructional leadership roles and functions of three elementary schools principals within the school setting were described by the naturalistic, qualitative case study. Principals in an urban, suburban, and small town elementary school setting in Nebraska were studied. The principals, identified through reputational case selection as instructional leaders, were shadowed through key events and interviewed within the dynamic settings of their elementary schools. Perceptions of key actors within each elementary setting were gained through interviews and observations and were presented through rich descriptions of the instructional leaders in action. The resulting case studies captured a "slice of life" of the instructional leader in action. Although the instructional leadership activities of the elementary principals varied from school to school, a synthesis of the study and the literature revealed there were common themes among elementary principal instructional leaders. Instructional leaders held fundamental, underlying beliefs categorized as: (1) having a process-oriented sense of direction for their school focusing on continued growth and improvement (2) viewing leadership as a collaborative effort; and (3) involving themselves as a part of the context of the school. These underlying beliefs guided the principal instructional leadership behaviors of: (1) managing and monitoring curriculum and instruction; (2) actively promoting a positive learning environment for students, staff, and parents; (3) actively promoting teacher growth and decision making; and (4) actively communicating. Applications to school districts and institutions responsible for training elementary principals were made. An instructional orientation should be adopted in training elementary principals to be instructional leaders. It is suggested that pre-service and in-service principal training feature instructional leadership case studies and involve collegial cluster groups or peer coaching arrangements. Through journals, aspiring and practicing principals could record their efforts within the context of the elementary school setting. Groups would then meet to discuss, compare, contrast, and reflect on the journals and case studies of elementary principals engaged in instructional leadership. It is suggested that principal peer coaching groups meet in buildings and offer feedback and opinion to principal casebooks and to activities of the principal within that building.
Subject Area
School administration|Elementary education|Curricula|Teaching
Recommended Citation
Johnston, Jed Kersey, "Three case studies of elementary school principals identified as instructional leaders" (1992). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9237664.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9237664