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Running head: SHOULD IT STAY OR SHOULD IT GO
i
SHOULD IT STAY OR SHOULD IT GO:
HOW SUCCESSFUL SUPERINTENDENTS BUILD, SHIFT, AND TRANSFORM
DISTRICT CULTURE IN AN AGE OF INCREASING ACCOUNTABILITY
by
Joshua F. Arnold
________________________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 2013
Copyright 2013 Joshua F. Arnold
Object Description
| Title | Should it say or should it go: how successful superintendents build, shift, and transform district culture in an age of increasing accountability |
| Author | Arnold, Joshua F. |
| Author email | jfarnold@usc.edu;josharnold@gmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Education |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Education (Leadership) |
| School | Rossier School of Education |
| Date defended/completed | 2013-02-25 |
| Date submitted | 2013-03-28 |
| Date approved | 2013-03-29 |
| Restricted until | 2013-03-29 |
| Date published | 2013-03-29 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Castruita, Rudy |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Garcia, Pedro Escalante, Michael |
| Abstract | The purpose of this study was to gain information regarding the manner in which superintendents build, shift, and transform district culture in an age of increasing accountability so that the new values and past practices of the organization work in concert with each other to match the culture of educational accountability sweeping the nation. Specifically, this study set out to determine: 1) which aspects of a healthy organizational culture Superintendents are most focused on building during their tenure as organizational leaders, 2) how superintendents decide what programs and services to focus on while shifting the cultural values of a district in new directions, 3) in what ways increasing state and federal accountability standards have transformed the way district's think about their organization's cultural tendencies, and 4) how Superintendents sustain a single cultural ethos across an entire school district with new reforms, laws, and budget constraints changing from year to year. A mixed methods approach, using 51 surveys and six in-depth interviews, was used in the collection and analysis of the research data. Data analysis revealed that superintendents who are successful in shifting district culture communicate clearly, value collaboration, share beliefs throughout the organization, hold everyone accountable for being mission-aligned, possess a clear vision, focus on instruction, maintain high expectations for students, value process, and hire extraordinary people. This study validated the importance and implications for aspiring and/or transitioning superintendents to understand how culture is a critical component of the health of any school district. To successfully build, or shift, culture across a large organization, leaders must be deliberate and intentional in the processes, programs, and protocols they promote. Overall, this study provides a framework of leadership superintendents can use to build culture, shift values, and improve student learning in their districts. |
| Keyword | superintendent; culture; accountability; transform |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Arnold, Joshua F. |
| Access conditions | The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given. |
| Repository name | University of Southern California Digital Library |
| Repository address | USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA |
| Repository email | cisadmin@usc.edu |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume7/etd-ArnoldJosh-1492-0.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Full text | Running head: SHOULD IT STAY OR SHOULD IT GO i SHOULD IT STAY OR SHOULD IT GO: HOW SUCCESSFUL SUPERINTENDENTS BUILD, SHIFT, AND TRANSFORM DISTRICT CULTURE IN AN AGE OF INCREASING ACCOUNTABILITY by Joshua F. Arnold ________________________________________________________________________ A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION May 2013 Copyright 2013 Joshua F. Arnold |
