University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Exploratory study on Race to the Top schools and the impact a school principal has on a school’s academic performance

(USC Thesis Other)

Exploratory study on Race to the Top schools and the impact a school principal has on a school’s academic performance

PDF

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content Running head: RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS 1

EXPLORATORY STUDY ON RACE TO THE TOP SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS ON A SCHOOL’S ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

by

Anthony Williams

________________________________________________________________________

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

August 2017

Copyright 2017 Anthony Williams

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The decision to begin my doctoral degree was a dream that I had been chasing for some
time. It took me years to find the right school that offered a program that I was interested in
pursuing. I was really fortunate to be placed in an outstanding class with some truly gifted
students. I would like to thank the class as a whole for every group project, group presentation
and helping me to see results from different angles.
I would like to thank the support and assistances from my dissertation cohort team
Damien Tymes, Dana Tanigawa, Kim Shinno and Linnea Sherrard. You showed me what it is
like to be on a winning team. I would not have made it without your support and assistance.
Especially, Damien, thank you for bringing me to class.
To my children, Aalyshia, Jazmyne, and Kalyb, who helped me to stay the course and
reminded me, we do not quit. Your unconditional smiles, hugs and understanding guided me
through the challenging times. May you always know and cherish the value of determination,
dedication and to continue to educate yourself.
I would like to thank my parents Ardenia Williams and Willie Williams, my brother
Willie Williams Jr., my sister Andrea Williams, and my family and friends throughout the
United States who have supported and encouraged me from afar.
I would like to thank my dissertation committee, Dr. Lawrence Picus, Dr. Alan Green and
Dr. Monique Datta. You have generously given your time and expertise to better my work and
me as a person. I truly appreciated the honest detailed feedback and for challenging me to think
critically.
Lastly, I would like to sincerely acknowledge the support and sacrifices of my wife,
Tanya. I owe you a deep debt of gratitude for being my editor and biggest supporter. Thank you
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

3
for being patient with me, for tolerating my piles of books and papers all over the dining room.
Thank you for always supporting me and taking care of the family while I spent late evenings on
the dining room table working through my doctoral program.

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements 2
List of Tables 6
Abstract 7
Chapter 1: Overview of the Study 8
Introduction 8
Background of the Study 10
Problem Statement 13
Purpose of the Study 16
Research Questions 17
Importance of the Study 17
Limitations 18
Delimitations 18
Assumptions 18
Definitions of Key Terms 18
Organization of the Dissertation 22
Chapter 2: Literature Review 24
Introduction 24
Conceptualizing Leadership 25
The Idea of Principal Leadership 27
Developing School Leaders 28
Leadership Programs 30
Challenges in the Classroom 33
Theory of Leadership 34
Summary 35
Chapter 3: Methodology 37
Introduction 37
Research Questions 38
Research Design and Methods 38
Sample and Population 39
Overview of Organization 39
Instrumentation 42
Data Collection 42
Data Analysis 43
Summary 44
Chapter 4: Results 45
Introduction 45
Descriptive Data 46
Overview of Researched Schools 47
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

5
Findings for Research Questions 50
Summary 65
Chapter 5: Summary, Implications, and Conclusion 68
Introduction 68
Summary of Findings 70
Purpose of the Study 72
Research Questions 73
Implication for Practice 73
Recommendations for Future Research 76
Conclusion 77
References 78
Appendices 86
Appendix A: Participant Recruitment Letter 86
Appendix B: Interview Protocol 87
Appendix C: Researcher Consent Letter 88

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

6
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. School Demographics 40
Table 2. Additional School Demographics 49

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

7
ABSTRACT
The study examined the leadership framework that included the Transformational Leadership
Theory. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact a Hawaii school principal has on
Zone of School Innovation (ZSI) and Non-Zone of School Innovation (Non-ZSI) in the Race to
the Top program. The study analyzed a principal’s leadership and the influence a school
principal has towards a school’s academic performance. The goal of the study was to identify
leadership trends and similar practices used by Hawaii Principals to improve a school’s academic
performance. A qualitative case study method was utilized to examine leadership trends and
practices of two school principals of ZSI schools and two principals in Non-ZSI schools. Six
participants were interviewed: two principals in ZSI schools, two principals in Non-ZSI schools
and two District managers. The interviews explored the experiences of the participants and
common trends used to improve a school’s academic performance. The findings from the study
indicated there are many promising practices and similar trends Hawaii’s leadership used to
improve a school’s academic performance. The development of School leaders through
professional development and mentorship was a key practice to educate and develop leadership
capacity within the Hawaii education system. Furthermore, the factors of a support structure and
community support assisted in addressing the academic challenges the schools are facing. The
study demonstrates the way a principal’s leadership style and behavior can impact a school
development and can inadvertently impact a school’s academic improvement.

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

8
CHAPTER 1
OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
Introduction
The role of the school principal is the driving force to ensure a school is successful. A
school’s success can occur through the principal’s provision of impartial leadership and guidance
supporting the school staff in setting the direction for the school. In addition, the principal is
responsible for improving working conditions, recruiting quality teachers and providing
professional development for the staff (Elliott & Clifford, 2014; Waldron, McLeskey, & Redd,
2011). The principal is also responsible for improving student achievement. Research dating
back to the 1970s has shown school improvement is linked to effective leadership by the
principal (Harold K. L. Castle Foundation, 2010; Elliott & Clifford, 2014). A principal’s
leadership can foster or hinder a school’s success and indirectly impact student achievement on
the basis of the support provided to the teachers (Harold K. L. Castle Foundation, 2010; Elliott &
Clifford, 2014). The focus of a school’s mission and the principal’s vision should foster a
healthy environment focused on providing quality learning for all students.
The leadership from the school principal is an essential component of a school’s
academic improvement (Heck & Marcoulides, 1993; Waldron et al., 2011; Weiss, 2013). Race
to the Top (RTTT) is a Federal government-funded program intended to improve low performing
schools. RTTT required Hawaii’s Department of Education to evaluate the leadership of
principals in low performing schools.
The leadership guidance from a school principal is key to that school’s academic success.
Hawaii acknowledges as part of RTTT in its school intervention model that replacing the
principal and no more than 50% of the staff are the right steps in improving a school’s academic
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

9
performance (U.S. Department of Education [USDOE], 2012, 2015a; Weiss, 2013). This study
looked at Hawaii’s low achieving schools in RTTT as well as the guidance the principal provides
and how the principal influences a school’s academic performance.
The aim of this study was to explore the influence a school principal has on a school’s
academic performance. The school principal is looked at as the leader that sets the standards that
the school will follow. Waldron et al. (2011) suggest principals can influence recruitment and
retention by supporting teachers, providing opportunities to develop teachers, providing teachers
with professional development and establishing a learning community that support teachers.
The purpose of this research was to conduct an exploratory study on the principal’s
leadership in Hawaiian schools that participated in the RTTT program. The study will analyze
the principal’s leadership and the influence a school principal has on a school’s academic
performance. The study specifically focused on whether principal actions in response to RTTT
established practices that research suggests would improve student achievement.
In order for Hawaii’s schools participating in RTTT to see an improvement in academic
performance in its low performing schools, the principal must be creative, honest, and build
cooperation within the school in order to create a successful academic environment (Waldron et
al., 2011). Teachers must be empowered in the decision making process in the school and
receive honest and fair feedback in their evaluation in order to contribute to the success of the
school’s performance (Elliott & Clifford, 2014; Noell, Brownell, Buzick, & Jones, 2014).
Teamwork between the principal and the teacher fosters growth within the school, which creates
potential success for Hawaiian schools in educating students.
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

10
Background of the Study
In 2009 President Barack H. Obama introduced a new incentive for education reform,
with the launch of “Race to the Top” which he argued would strengthen the economy, prepare
every child in America for the challenges of the 21st century and make America’s education
system the envy of the world (USDOE, 2014).
RTTT is a program that mirrored many of the components of “No Child Left Behind”
(NCLB) started in 2002 by President George W. Bush (Weiss, 2013). NCLB was intended to
increase education by mandating that states adopt their own standards for receiving Federal Title
I funds which saw an increase to $13.3 billion for high poverty schools (Lohman, 2010; USDOE,
2014). States had to establish academic standards, make annual progress in closing the
achievement gap, test students for progress, and maintain data on student progress to receive
federal funding (Lohman, 2010). In addition states also had to adopt their own statewide
comprehensive test for grades 3 through 8 in math, science, and reading that applied to all public
schools (Lohman, 2010; USDOE, 2014). NCLB was intended to close the achievement gap by
providing all children an opportunity to receive a high quality education (USDOE, 2014).
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was signed into law by
President Obama in February 2009 (USDOE, 2012). The program was designed to be a four-
year grant program intended to assist states in reshaping their education program, stimulate the
economy and support job creation, along with rewarding states for student improvement by
setting the conditions for education innovation and reform (USDOE, 2012). One year later
eleven states and the District of Columbia were awarded RTTT Phase one and Phase two grants
from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE, 2012). RTTT was designed as a competition
to reward states that displayed a successful track record of positive educational changes. The
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

11
program is divided into a three phase grant funding program to improve and expand the states’
early learning programs, close the achievement gap, and ensure every student is prepared for
college and a career (USDOE, 2013). The U.S. Department of Education acknowledged the
education system needed a change and an education is the prerequisite for a child’s success
towards employment in today’s job market (USDOE, 2015b).
Qualifying for RTTT secured Hawaii a $75 million, four-year grant to improve the state’s
education system (American Institutes for Research, 2014). The state of Hawaii qualified for the
RTTT program for two reasons. First Hawaii’s application for RTTT outlined an ambitious plan
to provide the students of Hawaii with access to a high-quality education and each high school
graduate would be college and career ready (CCR) and equipped with the knowledge and skills
to be successful (American Institutes for Research, 2013; Hawaii State Department of Education
[HIDOE], 2014).
Second, Hawaii is the only state in the nation that has a kindergarten through twelfth
grade (K-12) that is statewide and operates as both the State Educational Agency (SEA) and the
Local Educational Agency (LEA) (USDOE, 2012, 2014). Hawaii was different from the other
states in the RTTT program as all 288 schools on six of Hawaii’s eight main islands fall under
the Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE) and were able to participate in the program
(USDOE, 2014). Hawaii has a unique education structure in that, Hawaii has a single, large
school district, one superintendent of education and one board of education that governs the
entire state system (American Institutes for Research, 2014). Hawaii’s education program is
divided into 42 complexes that are grouped into 15 complex areas and overseen by a Complex
Area Superintendent (CAS).
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

12
Hawaii outlined a five-point plan in its ambitious application to improve student
achievement from early childhood through postsecondary school. The five-point plan focused
on: (1) establishing high-quality college- and career-ready standards and assessments with the
implementation of the Hawaii Common Core Standards that set a learning expectation for all
grades; (2) Improving longitudinal data collection and use by monitoring student progress,
identify effective teaching practices and promote decision-making in the classroom;
(3) Providing fair and reliable systems to support and evaluate teachers, along with rewarding
teachers with the best teaching practices which benefits academic achievement within the school;
(4) Providing targeted support to struggling schools and students by targeting schools in the two
Zones of School Innovation (ZSI); (5) Aligning organizational functions to support reform
outcomes by reorganizing the education structure to better support systemic reform efforts and
ensure fair distribution of federal funds to support all programs (HIDOE, 2016).
In Hawaii’s final year of receiving the RTTT funding, the state established a six-priority
strategy that focused on student success, staff success and successful system of support (America
Institutes for Research, 2014). The six-priority strategies focused on: (1) implement the
Common Core State Standards; (2) formative instruction using data teams; (3) use the school’s
Academic Review Team (ART) to monitor schools progress and provide feedback; (4) provide
induction and mentoring support for all beginning teachers; (5) provide training, coaching,
support and feedback to all teachers to ensure they maximize their effectiveness through the
Education Effectiveness System (EES); and (6) provide comprehensive student supports/
response to intervention (RTI) (USDOE, 2015b). Hawaii Department of Education focused its
efforts on Zone of School Innovation (ZSI); these schools were low-achieving schools a total of
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

13
18 schools and 7 public charter schools (USDOE, 2014). Schools identified in ZSI receive
higher level of services, support, and monitoring than other schools (USDOE, 2014).
Also in Hawaii’s final year of RTTT several changes were made which include, the six
priority strategies and the implementation of a school level Academic Review Team (ART) that
helped with the establishment of complex areas (USDOE, 2015a). The Hawaii Department of
Education also worked to improve its communication routines and strategies with more
community messaging and involvement (USDOE, 2015a).
Problem Statement
A principal’s leadership is vital in creating a positive learning environment. In order for
the schools to meet the needs of a growing education system, a principal needs to create a
learning culture that is focused on adapting to an evolving education. President Obama (2010)
expressed that it is our obligation to educate the sons and daughters of the United States by
providing them an outstanding education and any country that out educates the U.S. today will
out compete the U.S. tomorrow. Programs such as RTTT focused on improving low performing
schools and providing children a better education and opportunity to stay competitive in today’s
workforce. The RTTT program has opened the door in assisting Hawaii in improving its low
performing schools by preparing the students for college, rewarding effective teachers and
principals, tracking learning from students, and improving the states lowest performing schools
(USDOE, 2012). With funds from RTTT Hawaii sought to hire effective teachers and principals
to improve the academic performance in Hawaii’s lowest performing schools, along with
promoting highly effective teachers that are making a difference in the classroom.
Hawaii’s plan to turn around low performing schools and support the Local Education
Agency (LEA) was to implement one of the four school intervention models: (1) The turnaround
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

14
model by replacing the principal and rehire no more than 50% of the staff and grant the principal
sufficient operational flexibility to fully implement a comprehensive approach to substantially
improve student outcomes; (2) Restart model: Convert a school or close and reopen it under a
charter school operator, a charter management organization, or an education management
organization that has been selected through a rigorous review process; (3) School closure: Close
a school and enroll the students who attended that school in other schools in the district that are
higher achieving; (4) Transformation model: Implement each of the following strategies: (1)
replace the principal and take steps to increase teacher and school leader effectiveness, (2)
institute comprehensive instructional reforms, (3) increase learning time and create community-
oriented schools, and (4) provide operational flexibility and sustained support (USDOE, 2014).
The state of Hawaii laid out its four intervention models to turn around low performance
schools within its two Zones of School Innovations (ZSI). The state also identified 18 schools
within those ZSIs that meet the requirements for low performance schools (USDOE, 2013). The
U.S. Department of Education (2013) reported Hawaii schools have shown continuous
improvement after utilizing funds from RTTT and in school year 2011-2012, 15 of the 18 low
performance schools were showing improvement. The improvement in low performing schools
showed the funds from RTTT were helping the students of Hawaii to receive a better education,
along with turning around those low performing schools.
Schools located in ZSIs received priority for teacher applications that allowed them to
recruit highly qualified and motivated staff members (American Institutes for Research, 2013).
ZSI schools also received resources such as professional development training, increased access
to early childhood education, and extended learning time (ELT) (American Institutes for
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

15
Research, 2013). ELT was provided for students who needed additional time and support before
school, during intersessions and after school (American Institutes for Research, 2013).
When hiring and selecting school principals and teachers, President Obama (2010) urged:
“schools and school districts to make sure we have excellent principals leading our schools and
great teachers to lead our classes by promoting rigorous plans to develop and evaluate teachers
and principals and by rewarding their success” (p. 3). Hawaii transformed the teacher evaluation
system into the new Educator Effectiveness System (ESS), which now compensates teachers
based on performance (American Institutes for Research, 2014).
RTTT focused on testable subjects, reading, language arts, and math. In July 2015, a new
policy was implemented that ties a teacher’s pay increase to a satisfactory or effective evaluation
(American Institutes for Research, 2014). Teachers teaching one of the testable RTTT subjects
stand a better chance of getting a higher evaluation then teachers teaching one of the electives,
such as band or chorus. Hawaii’s challenge is creating an evaluation system that takes into
consideration a student’s improvement in both the testable subjects and non-testable subjects.
Jacob and Lefgren (2007) point out that parents value the teaching of music and art in school and
the education system should be more than math, English, and science. Students expect to receive
a diverse education and we need to teach more than just core subjects to ensure a balance in a
student’s education.
Hawaii continues to hire and educate teachers to be highly effective teachers that focus
on improving student performance in the testable subjects. Cwikla (2004) points out there is a
shortage of teachers in math and science and many leave the profession after their first several
years because of stress, difficulties, and demands of the profession. Normally highly effective
teachers are seasoned teachers that have been in the profession for years and understand some of
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

16
the dynamics and challenges of the profession. A shortage in teachers creates a challenge in
finding those seasoned teachers to teach the testable subjects.
Hawaii has shown improvement in the annual yearly progress (AYP) of students
proficient in mathematics and reading since receiving funding from RTTT. Hawaii was showing
a gradual increase in the AYP of students proficient in mathematics and reading before receiving
funding from RTTT, but since receiving the funding student proficiency has increased more
rapidly. The 2012 percentage of schools meeting AYP was 18 percentage points higher than
predicted (American Institutes for Research, 2013). Although it is impossible to credit the
improvement to RTTT funding, it does show student growth in the educational performance of
Hawaii students.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this research was to conduct an exploratory study on principals’
leadership in Hawaiian schools participating in the RTTT program. The study analyzed the
principal’s leadership and the influence a school principal has towards a school’s academic
performance to determine if there is an impact in student achievement in RTTT.
RTTT recommends focusing on one of the four parts in the Hawaii school intervention
model, which outlines ways to improve the performance of Hawaii’s lowest performing schools.
This study focused on Hawaii’s turnaround model, one of the four school intervention models
that entail replacing the school principal and no less than 50% of the staff in the lowest-achieving
schools (USDOE, 2012). The intent on replacing the school principal is to bring in somebody
that is creative, honest, and a visionary leader that can help lead the school to academic success
(Waldron et al., 2011). Principals making changes toward academic success have various
options such as: empowering teachers in the decision making process, assigning mentors for new
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

17
teachers, and providing professional development opportunities for veteran teachers (Elliott &
Clifford, 2014; Noell et al., 2014). Empowering teachers allows them to feel like they are part of
the team and that they can foster growth within the school (Bolman & Deal, 2003). Mentoring
and professional development are signs of investing in the teachers and in turn this creates
effective teachers that can positively impact student learning.
Research Questions
This study attempted to identify the impact a school principal has on Hawaiian schools by
evaluating a principal’s leadership steps to improving a low performing schools, leadership
behaviors, values and beliefs. The following research questions were used to guide this study:
1. What leadership steps does a principal take to turn around a low performing school?
2. What leadership behaviors are present in principals who improve a school’s academic
performance?
Importance of the Study
The importance of the study is that the data gathered from this research can be used by
the current HIDOE administration when hiring and recruiting principals for leadership positions,
along with providing new teachers an understanding of the importance of effective teachers.
Analyzing the data of this research study can help determine the impact a principal has on the
success of a school and the importance of empowering teachers in the decision making of the
school. In addition, the data shows the impact effective teachers have on motivating and
educating young minds and improving the performance in their school.
This study focuses on principal leadership and how RTTT has changed the teacher
evaluation process by focusing on testable subjects. Another focus is how a principal’s support
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

18
of a teacher evaluation can build toward effectiveness of the teacher and improve the academic
performances of the students.
Limitations
The study was purposefully constructed by the researcher and was composed of
volunteers. Because all participants were volunteers, the study has a potential for biases in the
sample obtained. My own bias and my novice experience in observation and interview notes may
not align with interviewees’ thinking, which could cause further bias when responses were
provided. Due to the small and relatively similar sample, the findings may not be generalized to
reflect a consensus of other schools.
Delimitations
The sample size of this study was limited to those schools that volunteered and
participated in RTTT. Due to the limited resources available in conducting the research, the
sample was constrained to only one of the eight Islands in Hawaii. The sample involved schools
that were self-selected for the purpose of the study.
Assumptions
The study is dependent on honesty, accurate memories, and other events by the principals
and teachers that volunteered for the various interviews. An effort was made to confirm the
information received from the interviewees using independent sources. The researcher used a
number of supporting documents that reflect the instructional strategies.
Definitions of Key Terms
The study references several terms that were relevant to the study. For the purpose of
clarifying the language used, a list of terms with definitions is provided:
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

19
Academic Review Team (ART): “Serves as a project management oversight committee at
the school level, including monitoring the implementation of the six priority strategies”
(American Institutes for Research, 2014, p. iv).
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): The stimulus package signed into law
by President Obama in February 2009, intended to stimulate the economy, create jobs, and invest
in critical sectors, including education. “The Department of Education received $97.4 billion in
support to reshape the education system” (USDOE, 2012, p. 16).
Annual Performance Report (APR):
Report submitted by each grantee with outcomes to date, performance against the
measures established in its application, and other relevant data. The Department uses data
included in the APRs to provide Congress and the public with detailed information
regarding each State’s progress on meeting the goals outlined in its application. (USDOE,
2014, p. 28)
College- and career-ready standards: “State-developed standards that build toward
college and career readiness by the time students graduate from high school” (USDOE, 2014,
p. 28).
Common Core State Standards (CCSS):
K-12 English language arts and mathematics standards developed in collaboration with a
variety of stakeholders including States, governors, chief State school officers, content
experts, States, teachers, school administrators, and parents. The standards establish clear
and consistent goals for learning that will prepare America’s children for success in
college and careers. (USDOE, 2012, p. 16).
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

20
Complex Area (CA): “Composed of two or three high schools and the
intermediate/middle and elementary schools that feed into them, headed by a Superintendent,
which allows administrators to focus on supporting the needs of their schools while providing
meaningful supervision and accountability” (USDOE, 2014, p. 3).
Complex Area Support Team (CAST): Dedicated staff developed by Hawaii Department
of Education to support each of the six strategies (American Institutes for Research, 2014).
Educator Effectiveness System (EES): Comprehensive evaluation system that sets clear
expectations for effective teaching, provides educators with quality feedback and support to
improve their effectiveness with students, and promotes professional development (American
Institutes for Research, 2014).
Effective teacher:
A teacher whose students achieve acceptable rates (e.g., at least one grade level in an
academic year) of student growth (as defined in the Race to the Top requirements).
States, LEAs, or schools must include multiple measures, provided that teacher
effectiveness is evaluated, in significant part, by student growth (as defined in the Race to
the Top requirements). Supplemental measures may include, for example, multiple
observation-based assessments of teacher performance. (USDOE, 2014, p. 28)
Extended Learning Time: Priority was for ZSI schools to provide additional instructional
opportunity for students and additional professional development time for educators to help
improve student achievement (USDOE, 2014).
Highly effective teacher: “A teacher whose students achieve acceptable rates (e.g., at least
one grade level in an academic year) of student growth (as defined in the Race to the Top
requirements)” (USDOE, 2014, p. 29). “Measurements may include, for example, multiple
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

21
observation-based assessments of the teacher’s performance or evidence of leadership roles
(which may include mentoring or leading professional learning communities) that increased the
effectiveness of other teachers in the school or LEA” (USDOE, 2014, p. 29).
Local Education Agency (LEA): An educational agency at the local governmental level
that operates schools or contracts for educational services. LEAs can be as small as a single
school district and as large as county offices of education (USDOE, 2015a).
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): Is administered once every two
years and is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what American
students know and can do in various subject areas (USDOE, 2014).
Science, Technology, Engineer, and Mathematics (STEM): STEM education integrates
the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics by using scientific inquiry and
engineering design as unifying processes. STEM emphasizes innovation and the development of
problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration skills (USDOE, 2015b).
Socio-economic Status (SES): A measure of an individual or family’s relative economic
and social ranking (USDOE, 2015b).
State Education Agency (SEA): Have a close partnership with LEAs as SEAs built
knowledge and skills of their staff and recruited new staff to drive comprehensive and
collaborative change in their education system. Develop and strengthen partnership with local
stakeholders such as teachers’ union institutions of higher education to accomplish their goals.
Set vision for improving teaching and learning across the state and support all the individuals in
their education system and to act on their vision in ways that made sense at the local level
(USDOE, 2015a).
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

22
Student achievement: Student achievement is divided into tested grades and subjects and
non-tested grades and subjects:
(1) for tested grades and subjects is (a) a student’s score on the State’s assessments under
the ESEA; and, as appropriate, (b) other measures of student learning, such as those
described in number (2) of this definition, provided they are rigorous and comparable
across classrooms; and (2) for non-tested grades and subjects, alternative measures of
student learning and performance such as student scores on pre-tests and end-of-course
tests; student performance on English language proficiency assessments; and other
measures of student achievement that are rigorous and comparable across classroom.
(USDOE, 2014, p. 30)
Student growth: “The change in student achievement (as defined in the Race to the Top
requirements) for an individual student between two or more points in time” (USDOE, 2012,
p. 18).
Title I: A federal fund that provides financial assistances to schools with a high
percentage of poor children in order to help all children meet the academic standards established
by the state (USDOE, 2012).
Zone of School Innovation (ZSI): Developed by Hawaii Department of Education to focus
on low-achieving schools and the two ZSIs contain all but one of the lowest achieving schools in
the state (a total of 18 schools and 7 public charter schools). Schools identified in ZSI receive
higher level of services, support, and monitoring than other schools (USDOE, 2014).
Organization of the Dissertation
This study explored the impact of a school principal’s leadership in Hawaiian school
participating in RTTT. A school principal’s leadership can be seen as the sphere head of change
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

23
in improving the education a school provides, it is important to understand the steps a principal
takes to improving a low performing school, and how their leadership influences the schools
success. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the study, and the background of RTTT. Chapter 2
offers a review of literature pertaining to leadership, principal leadership and role effective
teachers play in assisting a principal in turning around a low performing school. Chapter 3 looks
at the research methodology and the reasons for selecting a qualitative study. This chapter also
provides information about the sample and population, overview of the organization,
instrumentation, data collection and data analysis. Chapter 4 covers the findings of the research
and answers the research questions. Chapter 5 discusses the implications of a school principal’s
leadership in Hawaiian schools. The final chapter offers recommendations and implications for
future studies.

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

24
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
Educational institutions focus on providing their students the best education possible.
The school principal is the key person to corral the necessary resources for a school to provide
the best education possible (Waldron et al., 2011). The principal helps define the needs of the
school and outlines programs to meet the students and staff requirements (Vierstraete, 2005). In
addition, the principal lays out the school’s vision and mission and establishes a course of action
to achieve the school’s goals (Vierstraete, 2005).
The burden of academic success for a school is placed squarely with the school principal.
Young and King (2002) suggest school leaders can indirectly influence student achievement with
the programs and conditions they establish at the school. It is essential that the principal is the
right person for the school. Leadership can make or break an organization as it strives for
success (Bolman & Deal, 2003; Northouse, 2007).
The purpose of this literature review is to describe how a principal’s leadership can
indirectly influence student achievement. The literature review is divided into three sections.
The first section examines leadership, the principal’s role as the leader of the school and how a
principal’s leadership builds effective teachers which influences student achievement (Harold K.
L. Castle Foundation, 2010; Elliott & Clifford, 2014; Waldron et al., 2011). The second section
examines developing school leaders and creating teacher effective teachers (Brunetti, 2001;
Simon & Johnson, 2015; Struyven, Jacobs, & Dochy, 2013). Effective teachers have a
tremendous effect on student achievement (Brunetti, 2001; Simon & Johnson, 2015; Struyven et
al., 2013). In addition, the second section covers the importance of a mentor and professional
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

25
development as a means to creating effective leadership within the school. Principals that invest
in mentoring new teachers and providing professional development programs are continuing to
develop leadership within the school (Bredeson & Johansson, 2000; Hobson, Ashby, Malderez,
& Tomlison, 2009; Schechner & Poslusny, 2010). The third section summarizes the literature
review on how a principal’s leadership can impact student performance.
Conceptualizing Leadership
Leadership is an important part of any organization as leaders provide guidance and
direction to move the organization towards success (Bolman & Deal, 2003; Elkins, 2015;
Northouse, 2007). Mason (2016) suggests that effective leaders that fail to instill vision and trust
within their organization are failing to empower subordinates and grow the organization.
The question is “what makes a leader?” Are leaders born with leadership skills or have
they developed those skills through years of experiences? Seminal research has shown that
leadership skills can be acquired through job experience or developed through professional
development (PD), and performance evaluations (Elliott & Clifford, 2014). The definition for
leadership is elusive and tends to vary from one organization to another. Merriam-Webster
online defines leadership as “the office or position of a leader” (“Leadership,” n.d.). Other
authors have defined leadership a little differently. Northouse (2007) defines leadership as a
process where an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.
Bolman and Deal (2003) suggest good leaders have the right qualities such as vision, strength,
and commitment and leadership is situational; what works in one setting will not work in
another. Regardless of the definition of leadership, they all share a common theme, which is that
leadership is about leaders leading others and building cooperation within the team through
influence or authority.
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

26
Good leaders understand every event is situational and they have to be able to adapt to
the change. An effective leader must create an agenda for change based off the environment and
outline their vision and strategy for achieving that vision (Elkins, 2015; Bolman & Deal, 2003).
Good leaders are creative, honest, and exhibit confidence in their decision-making (Elkins,
2015).
An individual that has had an opportunity to lead an event or function may or may not be
an effective leader. Regardless of the situation, it was an opportunity for an individual to show
his or her leadership ability and that not everybody can be an effective leader. Judge, Ilies,
Bono, and Gerhardt (2002) separate leadership into two categories, leadership emergence and
leadership effectiveness. Leadership emergence is when an individual displays leader like
characteristics, such as leading a youth sporting event or moderating an important discussion at
work (Judge et al., 2002; Smircich & Morgan, 1982). An individual may be in a leadership
position, but others may not view them as a leader (Judge et al., 2002). Effective leaders have
the ability to influence others within their environment (Judge et al., 2002). Northouse (2015)
suggest that many people find being a leader is challenging, exciting and a rewarding experience.
Northouse (2015) explains that good leaders exhibit positive and negative attributes such
as positive attributes of trustworthy, intelligence, dependable, and team orientated. While
negative attributes such as irritable, ruthless, dictatorial and egocentric (Northouse, 2015). In
addition to the leadership attributes, some good leaders have shown the following personality
traits: (1) Confidence — confident leaders take responsibility for the outcome of the
organization. They are risk takers, because they have a better understanding of the situation than
anybody else does (Elkins, 2015). Confident leaders show the ability and have the capacity to
lead (Northouse, 2015). (2) Communication — good leaders use communication to nurture and
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

27
sustain information exchanges between themselves and a subordinate (Northouse, 2007). Good
leaders spend more time listening to their employees then talking (Elkins, 2015). Leaders that
listen to their employees gain a better understanding of the situation from the employees’
perspective. (3) Take charge — good leaders take charge of the situation and ensure the
organization stays on course. Good leaders understand the importance of clear guidance,
because if the organization is confused then that is a sign the leader is too (Catmull & Wallace,
2014).
The Idea of Principal Leadership
A principal’s leadership is essential to improving a school’s academic performance (Heck
& Marcoulides, 1993; Waldron et al., 2011; Weiss, 2013). Good principals exhibit positive
leadership attributes and personality traits to lead their organization to success. In Race to the
Top (RTTT) a Federal government-funded program was intended to improve low performing
schools (USDOE, 2012). RTTT required Hawaii’s Department of Education to evaluate the
leadership provided by a school principal and replace ineffective principals in low performing
schools (USDOE, 2014). Replacing low performing school principals required Hawaii to look
for principals with strong leadership skills and positive leadership attributes.
In education, a principal’s leadership can foster or hinder a schools growth and
development. Hawaii recognizes as part of RTTT in its school intervention model that replacing
the principal and no more than 50% of the staff is a start to improving a low performing school
(USDOE, 2012; Weiss, 2013).
Principals make decisions in the best interest of the school, establish the goals for the
school and then lead the school towards those goals (Elkins, 2015). Although some may
consider the principal as a manager of the school, there is a difference between management and
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

28
leadership. The terms management and leadership are often used interchangeably, but they have
significantly different functions and are easily confused. Management is seen as dealing with the
technical side of things such as planning, organizing and getting their staff to work for them
(Elkins, 2015; Northouse, 2015). Leadership is about collaborating, communication, vision, and
development (Bolman & Deal, 2003; Elkins, 2015; Waldron et al., 2011).
Some principals will face a challenge because the vision and strategy they used in one
school may not work in another school (Bolman & Deal, 2003). A school principal’s leadership
skills are often the key factor between an effective and ineffective school (Piaw, Hee, Ismail, &
Ying, 2014). School principals with good leadership skills have the ability to promote a high
quality school culture, encourage professional development of teachers and staff and build
relationships with families and the community (Piaw et al., 2014).
Developing School Leaders
Developing teachers to be a leader within the school can be a challenge since not all
teachers join the profession for the same reason. Some individuals who join the profession of
teaching have a passion to teach and feel teaching is an important job. Those new teachers want
to work with adolescent students to make a difference in the world (Brunetti, 2001; Struyven et
al., 2013). Several studies have shown a teacher’s reason or motivation to be a teacher falls into
three categories, according to Struyven et al. (2013). The first is altruistic reasons in which
individuals believe teaching is socially valuable and want to help young people succeed in
society. Second, is intrinsic reasons are inherent to the profession of teaching (Struyven et al.,
2013). Finally, extrinsic reasons are job characteristics not inherent to the profession of
teaching, such as long holidays, salary, status, and working conditions (Struyven et al., 2013).
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

29
When looking at what motivates a teacher to join the profession, geographic region has
also been seen as a factor. Teachers residing in western countries have shown extrinsic
motivation, such as, financial security, prestige or the stability of the profession (Struyven et al.,
2013). Gender also plays a role in why teachers join the profession. Males show extrinsic
reasoning in joining for the salary and promotion potential, while females join the profession
because they love children and have always wanted to teach (Struyven et al., 2013).
Regardless of the reason a person joins the profession of teaching; they will be seen as a
leader in the classroom and potentially a leader in the school. An effective teacher with the right
leadership can make a tremendous difference in a student’s education, such as increasing the
chances of college attendance and decreasing chances of teen pregnancy, especially in low-
income schools (Donaldson & Johnson, 2010; Noell et al., 2014). Very few teachers join the
profession with strong leadership skills, but rather learn their leadership ability through years of
experience, professional development, and mentoring from seasoned teachers. Individuals who
join the profession because they want to be a teacher therefore, show higher potential to be an
effective teacher and a strong leader (Struyven et al., 2013). When effective teachers leave the
profession, they are typically replaced with novice teachers and as a result, students stand a
higher chance of suffering in the classroom (Donaldson & Johnson, 2010).
A way to develop school leaders is to create effective teachers. Effective teachers that
display self-efficacy believe they have the ability to impact students’ motivation and
achievement. Teachers that teach a course in their field of expertise have expressed they feel
better prepared to teach the course and in turn are less likely to leave the school or even the
profession (Donaldson & Johnson, 2010). It is important that teachers feel confident in their
ability to teach as that reduces the stress that comes along with the profession. Novice teachers
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

30
new to the profession struggle to learn what techniques work best in the classroom in order to
motivate their students. The fact is many teachers learn which techniques are best from on the
job training (Donaldson & Johnson, 2010).
Leadership Programs
To improve a school academic performance investing in the leadership can build a
schools leadership capacity. Funding from RTTT assisted Hawaii in starting three leadership
academies (American Institutes for Research, 2014):
1. Teacher Leadership Academy-Hawaii certification institute for school leaders and
offers year around learning opportunities for future Vice Principals.
2. Vice Principal Academy-Prepares vice principals by providing the knowledge and
resources to function as a highly effective partner.
3. New Principal Academy-professional learning event that provides support lessons
learned, evidence based strategies and tools for learning the organization.
Hawaii focused on developing strong leaders to work in the schools while developing
others to become strong leaders. The focus was placed on providing professional development
training for principals and teachers and ensuring new teachers were inducted in the mentor
program.
Mentors
Principals can use mentoring programs for leadership development as experienced
teachers assist new teachers in the profession. Mentoring is important to new teachers to assist
with overcoming some of the challenges and stress that come with the profession (Orland-Barak
& Hasin, 2010). Mentors can assist new teachers in preparing their classroom, as some colleges
are not preparing students how to teach (Schechner & Poslusny, 2010). Hobson et al. (2009)
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

31
defines mentoring as, one-on-one support of novice teacher partnered with a more experienced
teacher to assist the novice teacher into the culture of the professional.
Mentoring can provide two points of success in a school’s achievement towards academic
success. The first point of success is mentoring allows an experienced teacher to share their
knowledge and skills on teaching along within continuing to develop their leadership skills as an
experienced teacher (Bradley-Levine, Lee, & Mosier, 2016). Additionally mentoring
demonstrates a way that experienced teachers can positively influence new teachers in the
teaching profession.
The second point of success is a mentor provides new teachers somebody that can help
them adapt to student diversity, balance the school workload, and adjust to school climate issues
(Hobson et al., 2009). Mentoring new teachers can improve retention and stability as a mentor
can provide assistance in common planning or collaboration time with a teacher teaching the
same subject area (Bradley-Levine et al., 2016; Hobson et al., 2009). Additionally, teachers that
have mentors are less likely, to leave the profession or switch schools within the profession
(Hobson et al., 2009). Vierstraete (2005) reported that new teachers typically set high
expectations for themselves and about one-third leave the field after a few years. Overall,
mentoring is a step towards improving the school’s academic performance, teacher retention, and
leadership development in both the new teacher and experienced teacher.
Mentors can help new teachers feel empowered and self-determined. Mentors can also
help new teachers come up with solutions to problems by talking with them and working with
them until they come up with a solution (Bradley-Levine et al., 2016; Harrison, Dymoke, & Pell,
2006). Principals looking for mentors look for context expertise and contextual knowledge
(Bradley-Levine et al., 2016). Harrison et al. (2006) suggest mentors should have certain
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

32
attributes such as; being a good listener; an ability to focus on issues; to enable discussion and
reflect on practice; an awareness to reduce pressure points that could derail new teachers.
Mentors can play a vital role in new teacher development by offering encouragement,
emotional support, sharing experiences, and professional knowledge (Bradley-Levine et al.,
2016). Bradley-Levine et al. (2016) identified a lesson learned by a new teacher from a mentor
while observing the new teacher’s class, the mentor noticed the new teacher was overwhelming
the students by combining several assignments. The mentor advised the teacher to divide the
activities in order to stagger the information flow and facilitate student understanding (Bradley-
Levine et al., 2016). Sometimes a teacher has to be creative in order to motivate the students to
complete an assignment they do not want to do.
Mentors are more than just experienced teachers that have been teaching for years.
Mentors should also display positive leadership skills, a vision, and are willing to help new
teachers become autonomous by encouraging them to set realistic goals (Orland-Barak & Hasin,
2010). Schools implementing a mentor program should have a vision or mission statement that
outlines the reason for the program and what it plans to accomplish.
Principals selecting mentors need to take into consideration that mentors need forms of
support and development to improve their leadership potential (Harrison et al., 2006, Schechner
& Poslusny, 2010; Young & King, 2002). In order for the education process to be dynamic,
teachers need professional development to continue learning and developing their educational
knowledge. Professional development creates better leaders and mentors for the school.
Professional Development
Teacher professional development is important for student achievement and improving
the school’s academic success (Bredeson & Johansson, 2000). Professional development allows
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

33
teachers to continue learning and developing their educational knowledge as well as building the
teachers’ confidence in the instructional material and the classroom setting.
One of the roles and responsibilities of a school principal is to influence and implement
teacher professional development along with creating a healthy teaching and learning
environment for all teachers and staff (Bredeson & Johansson, 2000). Principals that actively
research to provide professional development for their staff and teachers create a learning
community for their school environment. Young and King (2002) indicates that professional
development can build schools’ learning capacity, complemented with the principal’s leadership
can improve instructional quality and in turn influence student achievement. Principals building
a learning community have the ability to affect learning capacity in a positive or negative way
depending on their leadership (Young & King, 2002). Principals can improve instructional
quality by providing effective leadership, protecting teachers’ time, establishing an open line of
communication and providing them opportunities to meet regularly to discuss school-wide
professional development activities (Vierstraete, 2005; Young & King, 2002).
Challenges in the Classroom
One of the challenges an effective teacher has is overcoming some of the obstacles in the
classroom, such as disruptive classroom behavior, unsupportive home environment, larger class
size, student discipline issues, low student motivation, and high absences (American Institutes
for Research, 2014; Simon & Johnson, 2015). These challenges can distract other students and
can derail a teacher’s lesson plan for the class. Even worse, it could make it difficult for schools
to attract and retain effective teachers (Donaldson & Johnson, 2010).
Children living in low-income homes typically lack physical and emotional support, have
weak vocabulary development and lack behavioral training for a school environment (Farkas,
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

34
2000; Smith, 2012). The lack of physical and emotional support is brought on by children
receiving inadequate nutrition, untreated medical conditions or living in a hostile or violent
environment (Farkas, 2000). Children with weak vocabulary development typically live in an
environment with little adult conversation, nonstandard speech patterns and spend very little time
reading books (Farkas, 2000). The poor speech pattern is the results of over 60% of low-income
children before kindergarten do not know the alphabet and over 30% do not know to read a book
from left to right (Doggett & Wat, 2010). Children from low-income households that have
behavior training issues have been shown to have a hard time resolving situations without
violence and are often sent to school unprepared (Farkas, 2000). Children living in these
conditions have a higher chance of dropping out of school. Those who do graduate from high
school pay the cost of their underperformance throughout school by getting inferior jobs or
resorting to a life of crime at the expense of society (Doggett & Wat, 2010; Donaldson &
Johnson, 2010).
Theory of Leadership
Transformational leadership examines the relationship between leaders and followers to
include the charismatic and effective elements of leadership (Northouse, 2007).
Transformational leadership is concerned with the followers’ emotions, motives and long-term
goals (Northouse, 2007). Northouse (2007) outlines there are two types of leadership:
transactional and transformational. Transformational leadership serves as a balance which
promotes exchange and elevates the ideas. This encourages followers to transcend their self-
interest and develop goals for the good of the order (Berkovich, 2016). While transformational
leaders are individuals that harness the motives of followers in order to reach the goals of the
organization (Northouse, 2007). Northouse (2015) calls transformational leadership as the “New
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

35
Leadership” approach as transformational leadership has the ability to change people and the
organization.
Summary
Improving a school’s academic performance is a team effort with the principal leading
the team. An effective principal with the right leadership skills can turn around a poor
performing school by creating structure, establishing trust within the organization,
communicating the vision, appointing mentors to new teachers and promoting professional
development for all teachers and staff (Bolman & Deal, 2003; Bredeson & Johansson, 2000;
Orland-Barak & Hasin, 2010; Elkins, 2015; Hobson et al., 2009; Northouse, 2007; Young &
King, 2002). Leadership attributes throughout the literature provide examples to school leaders
on how to improve school effectiveness and student learning.
A principal’s leadership is important to a school’s success, although achieving academic
success at any school would be impossible without the assistance of effective teachers leading
students to achievement. Developing school leaders can create effective teachers and that can
make a difference in any school. Especially in schools that initiate mentor programs that
decrease new teacher isolation and increase lines of communication within the school
(Vierstraete, 2005). Schools that expect students to succeed, have to ensure the teachers are
receiving the necessary leadership, professional development, mentorship, and support to
influence student success.
The purpose of this research was to conduct an exploratory study on the principal’s
leadership in Hawaiian schools participating in the RTTT program. The goal of the study is to
examine the various leadership attributes of school principals and how their leadership influences
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

36
student achievement. The next section addresses the research methods used to determine
leadership attributes of school principals in RTTT.

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

37
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter provides an outline of the research design for the study. It describes the
qualitative methods, sample and population, instrumentation, data collection, and data analysis
that were completed. Finally, a summary conclusion of the data collection approach is
discussed. The purpose of this research was to conduct an exploratory study on principals’
leadership in Hawaiian schools that participated in the RTTT program. The study analyzed the
principal’s leadership and the influence a school principal has on a school’s academic
performance. The study specifically focused on whether principal actions in response to RTTT
established practices that research suggests will improve student achievement.
RTTT recommends focusing on one of the four parts in the Hawaii school intervention
model, which outlines ways to improve the performance of Hawaii’s lowest performing schools.
This study focused on Hawaii’s turnaround model, one of the four school intervention models
that entail replacing the school principal and no less than 50% of the staff in the lowest-achieving
schools (USDOE, 2012). Replacing the school principal with a creative, honest, visionary leader
can help lead the school to academic success (Waldron et al., 2011). Principals making changes
toward academic success have various options such as; empowering teachers in the decision
making process, assigning mentors for new teachers, or providing professional development
opportunities for experienced teachers (Elliott & Clifford, 2014; Noell et al., 2014). Empowering
teachers allows them to feel like they are part of the team and that can foster growth within the
school (Bolman & Deal, 2003). Mentoring and professional development are signs of investing
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

38
in the teachers and in turn this creates effective teachers that can positively impact student
learning.
Research Questions
The study was designed to investigate the following research questions:
1. What leadership steps does a principal take to turn around a low performing school?
2. What leadership behaviors are present in principals who improve a school’s academic
performance?
Research Design and Methods
This study utilized a qualitative research method for data collection. According to
Merriam (2009), qualitative research allowed the researcher to gain an understanding of an
individual’s interpretation of experiences and what was gained from those experiences. Learning
about a principal’s leadership can influence student achievement by creating effective teachers is
key to understanding the process on improving a low performing school’s academic
achievement.
For the purpose of the study, the primary tool for gathering data was in-person
interviews. The researcher conducted interviews with two principals operating in Hawaii’s Zone
of School of Innovation (ZSI) program, two principals operating schools not in the program and
two District Administrators with the Hawaii Department of Education. The intent was to
examine the leadership the principals provided for their school with a goal to understand
effective principal practices with a focus on creating effective teachers for schools participating
in Race for the Top. Information gained from the District Administrator provided leadership
steps and behaviors used to improve a school’s academic performance. Weiss (2013) outlines
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

39
the interview is intended to allow the researcher to learn how events affect the participant’s
thoughts, feelings and various human emotions that are shared during an interview.
The qualitative method of interviewing is an effective technique to exact rich and
descriptive information about a school principal’s experiences and perceptions. Although the
quality of the data gained from the interviews is largely dependent on the interviewers’ ability to
capture the information (Patton, 2002).
Sample and Population
This study examined two school principals in the ZSI, two school principals out of ZSI,
and two District Administrators in order to examine their leadership behaviors and how they
influence the school’s academic achievement. The sample was small as to afford the researcher
the opportunity to distinguish common practices of principals improving the performance of low
performing schools.
The schools selected were based on their similarities in demographics, student population
and grade levels taught at the school. The selection of the four schools for this study was based
on the purposeful, convenience sample. Merriam (2009) suggested purposeful sampling
provides rich information on the research topic. In addition to selecting the four schools each
school also received Title I funding and was available during the time of the study.
Overview of Organization
The schools participating in this study had predominantly Native Hawaiian students with
a small mixture of various nationalities with a high percentage of the population meeting the
criteria of socioeconomically disadvantaged students. All schools receive Title I funding school
wide. Table 1 provides a summary of the grades each school encompasses, their enrollment
numbers, along with a brief demographic summary (HIDOE, 2016).
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

40
Table 1
School Demographics
School Population
Native
Hawaiian Title I SPED Type
Free or
Reduced
lunch
Maona
Elementary
School
Zone 894 65% 74% 5% K-6 73%
Makai Elementary
School
Zone 609 70% 84% 5% K-6 89%
Akau Elementary
School
Non
Zone
233 87% 85% 14% K-6 85%
Hema Elementary
and Intermediate
School
Non
Zone
493 59% 84% 14% K-8 85%

Zone of School Innovation
Maona Elementary School’s mission is to develop every student academically and
socially, by providing meaningful and purposeful instructions that every student can apply in real
life learning opportunities (HIDOE, 2016). In achieving the school’s mission the school
employees, an enthusiastic and highly effective staff, are dedicated to providing the best
education to students (HIDOE, 2016). To promote and create a highly effective staff, the school
practiced collaborative planning, coaching and professional development (HIDOE, 2016).
The demographic group attending Maona is diverse and includes; 65% Native
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 13% Filipino, 4% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% two or more races, and
1% in each of the following Chinese, Japanese and Portuguese (HIDOE, 2016). The student
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

41
body is broken down into 44% females and 56% males (HIDOE, 2016). Seventy-three percent of
the students participate in the free or reduced cost lunch program (HIDOE, 2016).
Makai Elementary School’s vision and mission are closely related focusing on creating a
culture that supports learning and effective instruction that influences the students’ achievement.
The demographic group attending Makai is diverse and includes; 70% Native
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 6% Filipino, 5% Samoan, 5% White, and 1% in each of the following
Hispanic, Japanese, Black, and Native American (HIDOE, 2016). Eighty four percent of the
students participate in the free or reduced cost lunch program. The student body is broken down
into 51% females and 49% males.
Non Zone of School Innovation
Akau Elementary School’s vision is to provide the students with a strong foundation for
future academic and life endeavors. This school has a long history of educating students that
dates back to 1965. The school strives to impress upon its students to be respectful, cooperative,
and active participants in the student-centered curriculum that focuses on integrating technology,
collaboration and problem solving. The school’s goal is to develop the “whole child,”
academically and socially.
The demographic group attending Akau is diverse and includes; 87% Native Hawaiian,
2% Samoan, and 1% of each of the following Hispanic, White, Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese
(HIDOE, 2016). Eighty-five percent of the students participate in the free or reduced cost lunch
program. The student body is broken down into 47% females and 53% males.
Hema Elementary School’s mission is to provide the students with an academic learning
environment that incorporates standards based curriculum, effective instructional strategies and
prepares students for post-secondary educational opportunities. Hema services students from
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

42
PrePlus (4 years old) through grade 8. Hema is an AVID (Advancement Via Individual
Determination) certification school encouraging students in grades 4 through 8, who normally
would not pursue college, to do so. New teachers arriving to Hema are provided a “peer buddy”
from the current leadership team to assist the teacher with transitioning. The demographic group
attending Hema is diverse and includes; 59% Native Hawaiian, 18% Filipino, 7% Samoan, 4%
White, 4% Micronesian, and 1% in each of the following, Chinese, Indo-Chinese, and two or
more ethnicity (HIDOE, 2016). Eighty-five percent of the students participate in the free or
reduced cost lunch program. The student body is broken down into 46% females and 54% males.
Instrumentation
This study utilized the semi-structured interview process with each individual receiving
the same questions. Merriam (2009) defined the semi-structured interview process as a mix of
structured and unstructured questions. In conducting a semi-structured interview, it allows a
novice interviewer to conduct the interview with a plan of prepared questions, which can create a
relaxed environment for the interviewer and interviewee (Merriam, 2009). Semi-structured
interviews allow the interviewer the opportunity to probe on certain questions, if needed, during
the interview in order to gain additional details or clarification (Merriam, 2009). Open-ended
questions gave the participants time to think through the question and provide an adequate
response. The data gained from the interviews was compiled, analyzed and discussed in the
findings of the study.
Data Collection
The data collecction methods consisted of tape recordings, typed transcripts of the tape
recordings, and the researcher’s notes. The interview notes documented data gained during the
interview and observations observed during the interview. The thematic group in preparation for
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

43
the 2017 school year developed the interview questions. The data gained in the interview served
as both the evidence and clues to answering the research questions (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007).
Properly constructed interview questions can enhance discovery of new knowledge and allow the
researcher to get to know the data better, develop additional questions/answers, probe, and think
outside the box (Corbin & Strauss, 2008).
The data collection method selected is to ensure validity of the information gained during
the research. Although validity is not guaranteed by following an accepted protocol, it is key to
providing credibility to the research questions (Maxwell, 2013). The process used to gain access
and obtain consent from the participants will be covered in this section. The relationship
established is essential to gaining access to a potential study participant. In the study each
participant provided an in-person interview that focused on answering the research questions.
The thematic group shared interview information on the school’s characteristics, students, and
student performance in order to avoid inundating the schools with interviews and observations.
Data Analysis
Data analysis is the process used to answer a study’s research question(s) (Merriam,
2009). Data analysis begins by working with the data, breaking the data into segments,
synthesizing the data, and searching for patterns (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007; Merriam, 2009). Each
segment described a unit, a key piece of information, or potential answers to the research
questions. Merriam (2009) suggest a unit should meet two criteria; (1) should reveal information
pertinent to the study and stimulate the audience’s thinking beyond the bit of information;
(2) information about something that can be stand-alone-information and can be interpretable in
the absence of any additional information.
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

44
Summary
This chapter provides an overview of the qualitative research method and design used in
the implementation of the study. The methods included interviews and documents. Also
included is a description of the sample and population of two school principals in ZSI and two
school principals out of ZSI. Information is provided on the instrumentation, data collection, and
data analysis. Chapter 4 will examine the findings from the data collected and provide
recommendation for future research.

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

45
CHAPTER 4
RESULTS
Introduction
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the impact of a school principal’s
leadership on Hawaiian schools. This study attempted to gain an understanding of the impact a
school principal had in turning around a low performing school during the Race to the Top
program (USDOE, 2012). The researcher sought to identify principal leadership trends and
practices used in improving academic performance in Hawaiian schools.
In the interview process all participants were asked to share their leadership experiences,
challenges and the programs they implemented to improve a school’s academic performance
(Merriam, 2009; Patton, 2002). The information gained from the leadership interviews may be
beneficial to other educational institutions that seek to improve a low performing school’s
academic performance.
The results from the interviews showed all the participants received professional
development funded by RTTT. The professional development focused on developing the
principals’ and the teachers’ leadership skills. HIDOE funded several professional development
programs to include flying several principals and teachers to the mainland in order to attend
cognitive lesson training and team building exercises. In addition HIDOE provided funding to
fly instructors to Hawaii in order to provide programs on improving teaching skills, leadership
skills and organization skills (Zone Principal 2).
This chapter presents and summarizes findings from school leaders on the roles they
played in school leadership in Race to the Top in Hawaii. The chapter examines the leadership
performance and behaviors from transformational leadership theory. Transformational leaders
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

46
motivate their subordinates utilizing the trust and confidence their subordinates place in them
(Vito, Higgins, & Denny, 2014). The chapter discusses transformational leaders using their
connections to empower, mentor and develop subordinates. In examining leadership the chapter
analyzes the four schools the participants were involved in during RTTT and the demographics
of their school in order to gain an understanding of challenges the school faced. The chapter also
presents information gained during the in-person interviews from the school principal and the
district office. The information is then analyzed to support the two research questions in this
study, to include a discussion on information gained during the interviews. The chapter
concludes with a summary of the finding of the study.
The two research questions for this study are:
1. What leadership steps does a principal take to turn around a low performing school?
2. What leadership behaviors are present in principals who improve a school’s academic
performance?
Descriptive Data
The data collection included participant interviews, research material and Race to the Top
material. To protect the confidentially of the participants, the names of the schools and
participants were changed to pseudonyms. All the participants were purposefully selected based
on their knowledge of RTTT or their school met the ZSI or non-ZSI requirement. The
participants consisted of four principals and two District administrators participated in the
interview process. The participants were assigned the identification of District Administrator
number 1 and 2, Zone Principal number 1 and 2, and Non-zone Principal number 1 and 2. The
six individuals who participated in the study were all in educational leadership positions during
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

47
Race to the Top. The participants represent an even divide of Hawaiian schools in Zones of
Innovation and Non Zones of Innovation.
All the Elementary Schools that participated in the study had relatively low performing
scores in Math and Reading proficiency as compared to most elementary schools in Hawaii. The
schools also ranked in the bottom 10% to 30% of Hawaii elementary schools based on
performance as measured by the Hawaii State Assessment Test and published in the Hawaii
Strive HI report (HIDOE, 2016). The Hawaii Strive HI report provides an annual snapshot of the
testing performance of Hawaii schools. The Strive HI report was designed to provide the parents,
community, educators and policy makers an understanding of a school performance (HIDOE,
2016).
Overview of Researched Schools
Schools in the Zone of School Innovation
This study examined two schools, Moana Elementary School and Makai Elementary
School. Both schools were selected as zone of school innovation and face similar challenges in
improving the school’s academic performance within a population of low income children
(American Institutes for Research, 2014). To protect the confidentially of the schools the names
were changed to pseudonyms.
Moana Elementary School is located on the west side of the Island of Oahu. The school
area is characterized as: upper middle class, less educated, and primarily composed of children
and teenagers. The school of Moana falls in the zone of innovation that services a population of
approximately 894 students with a majority of them coming from homeless or low income
families. As mentioned earlier in Chapter 3, the demographics at Moana include a variety of
ethnic groups: 65% Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander, 13% Filipino, 4% White, 2% Hispanic,
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

48
2% two or more races, and 1% in each of Chinese, Japanese and Portuguese (HIDOE, 2016).
Moana faces challenges with 32% of Asian students, 4% of Hispanic students and 3% of students
with two or more races have limited English proficiency (HIDOE, 2016).
Makai Elementary School is located on the west side of the Island of Oahu. The school
falls in the zone of innovation and services a population of approximately 609 students with a
majority of them coming from homeless or low income families. As mentioned earlier in
Chapter 3, the demographics at Makia include a variety of ethnic groups: 70% Hawaiian
Native/Pacific Islander, 6% Filipino, 5% Samoan, 5% White, and 1% in each of the following
Hispanic, Japanese, Black, and Native American (HIDOE, 2016). Makia faces challenges with
10% of Asian students and 2% of Hispanic students having limited English proficiency (HIDOE,
2016).
Schools in the Non Zone of School Innovation
This study also examined two non ZSI schools, Akau Elementary school and Hema
Elementary school. Both schools were selected into the non-zone of school innovation and they
both share similar challenges in improving the school’s academic performance.
Akau Elementary School is located on the east side of the Island of Oahu. The school
falls in the Non Zone of School of Innovation that services a population of approximately 246
students with a majority of them coming from a strong family background. As mentioned earlier
in Chapter 3, the demographics at Akau include a variety of ethnic groups: 87% Hawaiian
Native, 2% Samoan, and 1% of each of the following Hispanic, White, Chinese, Filipino, and
Japanese (HIDOE, 2016). Only 2% of Akau students have limited English proficiency, which is
much lower than all reported elementary schools in Hawaii (HIDOE, 2016).
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

49
Hema Elementary School is located on the east side of the Island of Oahu. The school
falls in the Non Zone of School of Innovation that services a population of approximately 505
students with a majority of them coming from a strong family background. As mentioned earlier
in Chapter 3, the demographics at Hema include a variety of ethnic groups: 59% Hawaiian
Native, 18% Filipino, 7% Samoan, 4% White, 4% Micronesian, and 1% in each of the following,
Chinese, Indo-Chinese, and two or more ethnicity (HIDOE, 2016). Hema faces challenges with
42% of Asian students, 3% of Hispanic students and 10% of students with two or more races
have limited English proficiency (HIDOE, 2016). Table 2 provides additional school
demographics (HIDOE, 2016).

Table 2
Additional School Demographics

Makai (ZSI) Moana (ZSI)
Akau (Non
ZSI)
Hema (Non
ZSI)
Students with limited English
proficiency
2% 8% 2% 12%
Students with learning disability 14% 9% 14% 15%
First or second year teachers 28% 30% 11% 8%
Average teacher salary $41,169 $42.724 $47,007 $50,778
Teachers that missed 10 or more
days.
83% 55% 94% 83%
Students that missed 15 or more
days.
41% 25% 39% 25%
School ranking by test scores in
Hawaii
Bottom 10%
of Hawaii
Schools
Bottom 20%
of Hawaii
Schools
Bottom 30%
Hawaii
Schools
Bottom 20%
Hawaii
Schools

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

50
Overview of Participants
In dividing the six participants, four participants were categorized as school leadership
and two were categorized as district administrators. For this study, school leadership have held
education positons such as a teacher, vice principal or principal. District administrators are
holding positions at the district level and have previously held positions such as vice principal
and principal. All the participants volunteered to contribute to the study by participating in an
in-person interview. All the participants were in leadership positions during RTTT.
The participants in the study took various routes to their current leadership position.
Some of the participants started as teachers moving up in the education field and others started in
the military then transitioning into the education field. In total the participants have over 90 years
of educational experiences.
Findings for Research Questions
Research Question 1: What Leadership Steps Does a Principal Take to Turn Around a
Low Performing School?
The first research question for this study sought to discover some of the steps participants
took to improve their school’s academic improvement. The funding from RTTT was intended to
improve the education that Hawaii students received. In RTTT one of the steps in improving a
low performing school was to replace the principal and rehire no more than 50% of the staff
(USDOE, 2015a). In addition the state of Hawaii sought to improve the mentoring program in
order to improve the skills and support for teachers and principals (USDOE, 2015a).
The results are the exclusive perception of the six school leaders’ experiences on what
steps they took to improve a school’s academic performance. The experiences shared
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

51
demonstrate their thoughts on the influences of leadership practices in HIDOE and are not
generalized for the leader population in HIDOE.
The results from the interviews showed three key themes. The first theme was
mentorship is the focus to integrating new teachers and principals into the field. The second
theme was professional development program can improve a teacher and principal leadership
capacity. The third and final theme was the challenge Hawaii schools face with a large amount
of children coming from low income families.
During the interview a majority of the participants agreed steps to improve a school’s
academic performance includes mentorship programs for new incoming principals and
professional development for teachers and principals. In addition administrators must address
the challenges that can distract the teachers from teaching and the schools from improving their
academic performance.
Mentoring. The data collected through the interviews revealed all the participants
utilized mentoring and professional development as steps to improve the education the students
received. The participants stated that mentors for new hire teachers help new teachers learn the
functions of the school. Non-zone Principal number 1 and 2 stated school level mentors help
new teachers with basic needs such as finding the copy machine and getting comfortable with
their new role at the school. The mentor program should be chaired by the school principal to
ensure the program is properly resourced. The principal should select the teachers to be mentors,
define the mentor program, provide training, resource, and provide feedback to teachers in the
program (Vierstraete, 2005). Mentoring new teachers can perhaps be the most important and
effective method to support professional development within the education profession (Hobson
et al., 2009; Vierstraete, 2005). Non-zone Principal number 2 also provided his perception on
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

52
mentorship and how he, “recommends an administrator should not be a mentor, but rather an
experienced teacher that can be frank and blunt with the teacher” makes a better mentor.
Teachers working with a mentor have shown more confidence and commitment to the
profession. They also learned new and improved teaching styles, improved their communication
skills, and enhanced their knowledge and other needs within the profession (Hobson et al., 2009).
Teacher mentorship can speed up the learning at a new job and improve a teacher’s performance
by modeling lead teachers (Vierstraete, 2005).
All the participants shared the view that mentorship is important to reduce teacher
turnover and improve academic performance in the school. Bradley-Levine et al. (2016) noted
that novice teachers preferred talking to their mentor about discipline issues in the classroom
rather than how to improve their classroom management skills or how to build a positive
classroom culture. Mentors can help new teachers to stay focused on what is important in the
classroom versus discussing social issues. Harrison et al. (2006) outline a new teacher expects
their mentor to be someone who could assist them with the organization, provide working
techniques in the classroom and serve as a role model for planning. Mentoring is form of
professional development as experienced teachers develop new teachers in adapting to the
education field.
Professional development.. All the participants shared that funding from RTTT was
used for various leadership programs to improve teacher performance and principal leadership
skills. Zone Principal number 2 explained some of the programs covered planning and
preparation, classroom environment instruction and professional responsibility. The professional
development programs focused on improving the teachers and building teamwork within the
school. All the participants shared the view that professional development programs assist in
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

53
improving the school’s academic performance. Lochmiller and Chesnut (2017) suggest teachers
learn when participating in meaningful activities and events that relate to work. These activities
allow teachers to analyze and address situations from different perspectives. New teachers can
examine how experienced teachers handle challenging situations and learn from their
experiences. District Administrator number 2 explained better trained teachers can handle bad
attitude students and that creates less student suspensions.
Zone Principal number 2 explained one of the professional development programs the
HIDOE provided outlined examples of how other educational programs improved their low
performing schools. The intent of the program was to provide the principals of Hawaii examples
of successful programs. Zone Principal number 2 stated the examples were good, but not all of
them apply to the Hawaii culture. Young and King (2002) suggest principals that are afforded an
opportunity to attend professional development programs gain an understanding of how to
improve their schools academic performance and the importance of teacher development.
The data collected from the interviews revealed principals and district leaders used
professional development programs to develop leadership skills and educate principals and
teachers to improve their skills within their field and to build team cohesion within the school.
Non-zone Principal number 1 shared that professional development programs were scheduled
monthly to improve principal and teacher performance. A teacher’s instructional quality can be
strengthened through regular team building meetings that align professional development
activities with the school’s goals (Young & King, 2002; Vierstraete, 2005). Zone Principal
number 2 explained that the introduction of RTTT required principals and teachers to attend
several PD classes to educate, train and prepare them for some of the upcoming changes in their
education program. Collaborative learning sessions can strengthen knowledge and skills of
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

54
principals and teachers (Young & King, 2002). District administrator number 1 shared RTTT
created a teacher center to provide support for new teachers. The support center provided new
teachers a team to help them adjust to being a teacher. The only issue with the support center was
experienced teachers were pulled from their school to be part of the teacher center (District
administrator 1). Support center allowed experienced teachers to provide advice to new teachers
on handling challenges in the classroom.
Challenges.. A leadership step to improving a school’s academic performance is
examining the situation from the student’s perspective and then linking what is important to the
student and what is important to the school. Zone Principal number 1 describes a challenge his
school faced on how to improve students reading and writing skills. The approach he found
most successful was talking to the students about who their role models are and then relating the
role model’s success to improving the students’ reading and writing skills. By relating
something the students found important the student’s interest was piqued and the student felt
challenged to do better in order to emulate their role models. Zone Principal number 2 used a
similar approach to encourage students to read and write more. He knew a bulk of the males at
his school liked football and he would encourage them to write stories about what they like about
football and who they like in football. He found this motivated the students to write more and
opened up communication between the teacher and students. Richardson, Watts, Hollis, and
McLeod (2016) suggests students should be involved in designing their own educational
experience by integrating personalized events to aid school administrator in reforming the
education process.
Zone Principal number 1 explained what works to motivate the students is to tie learning
into something students are interested in. If the students are interested in surfing, then link
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

55
learning to surfing articles or information. Zone Principal number 1 explained RTTT required
the schools to survey the students on what classes they wanted for ELT and then the teachers
were mandated to teach the classes. The program took the classes the students wanted to attend
and turned them into programs to improve the students’ reading and writing skills. As an
example, the students wanted hula as a class and the teachers would get them to read and write
about it (Zone Principal 1).
Non-zone Principal number 1 had a high number of students who were missing school for
minor medical reasons. He then looked into hiring a nurse for his school, but found he could not
afford a full time nurse. He made contact with another principal in his area that was facing the
same challenge. They agreed to hire a nurse they could share between the two schools. Hiring a
nurse allowed their students to receive minor medical attention without leaving the school.
Zone Principals number 1 and 2 describe a leadership challenge their school faced in
improving student academic performance. They frequently have students arrive to school
unprepared and in need of school supplies or school material. In addition some of the students
do not receive the support they need at home to assist them with homework or preparing for
school. Both principals stated their school has homeless students and the challenge is getting
those kids to come to school. District administrator number 2 explained there are approximately
1,500 homeless families in the ZSI school area, which amounts to approximately 62% of the
students living under the poverty level. The homeless students create a very different challenge
in getting them to come to school, when they have more serious issues then turning in their
homework. Many of the homeless students stay home to watch siblings, assist their parents in
making money and work to bring food home. Children living in low-income homes typically
lack physical and emotional support, have weak vocabulary development and lack behavioral
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

56
training for a school environment (Farkas, 2000; Smith, 2012). The lack of physical and
emotional support is brought on by children receiving inadequate nutrition, untreated medical
conditions or living in a hostile or violent environment (Farkas, 2000). Children with weak
vocabulary development typically live in an environment with little adult conversation,
nonstandard speech patterns and spend very little time reading books (Farkas, 2000). Children
from low-income households that have behavior training issues have been shown to have a hard
time resolving situations without violence and are often sent to school unprepared (Farkas,
2000). Children living in these conditions have a higher chance of dropping out of school.
Those who do graduate from high school pay the cost of their underperformance throughout
school by getting inferior jobs or resorting to a life of crime at the expense of society (Doggett &
Wat, 2010; Donaldson & Johnson, 2010).
District administrator number 1 shared RTTT required leaders to look at student growth
and student progress. Then district administrator number 1 went on to discuss when looking at
student progress a teacher’s pay should not be based on student performance. Teachers working
with a student living in low income areas have less of an opportunity to gain incentive funds.
The theory of incentive pay is to get teachers to change their teaching style, modify their
curriculum, encourage cooperation and teamwork, or work longer hours in order to motivate
their students regardless of school district (Yuan et al., 2013). Dee and Wyckoff (2015) suggest
incentive pay programs do not adequately attract and retain quality teachers and create additional
challenges to staffing schools located in low income areas. Overall, incentive pay programs have
shown to not motivate teachers to work the extra hours and brought on additional stress (Yuan et
al., 2013).
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

57
Zone Principal number 1 expressed concerns that his school faces a challenge in teacher
retention. A majority of his teachers drive approximately 30 minutes to school. The school is
located in a low-income area and most recruits would prefer to work closer to their home.
Teachers have left his school to work at schools closer to their home after they receive tenure.
Rogers-Chapman (2015) noted low-income schools have limited access and do not appeal to
highly qualified teachers. Low-income schools typically have the students that need the most
assistance, but have the least access to the best resources, such as highly qualified and
experienced teachers (Rogers-Chapman, 2015).
Zone Principal number 2 describes similar challenges in teacher retention, teachers
putting up with the long drive to school; low student performance, student attitudes, and only
new teachers are accepting teaching positions in these areas. In some schools the teachers had
more absences then the students. Excessive absents by qualified teachers creates a challenge as
the substitute teacher are teaching more of the class then the qualified teacher. Barrera-Osorio &
Raju (2017) suggests classrooms with increased teacher absenteeism produces low learning
outcomes. District administrator number 1 stated there is a school with 45% substitute teachers,
which meant nearly half the teachers were not qualified to teach. Struyven et al. (2013) suggest
when education systems face a shortage of teachers they look at two options, lower the
qualifications or increase the class size. Both options negatively affect student learning
(Struyven et al., 2013).
Programs such as RTTT give schools a false since of success, as schools (Rogers-
Chapman, 2015) districts receive a temporary infusing of funding during the allotted time of the
program and once the program ends the funding dries up. Zone Principal number 2 explained
that when programs like RTTT end schools struggle to keep the same programs that were funded
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

58
by the grant. He recommends not applying for those types of grants and instead works within
your budget or partnering with another school. Yatsko, Lake, Bowen, and Nelson (2015) suggest
principals without a sustainability plan face challenges later when the funding runs out. RTTT
funded additional professional development training, which allowed HIDOE to reach more
principals and teachers and in turn build talented leaders and highly effective teachers. HIDOE’s
investing in the (Rogers-Chapman, 2015) leadership today should produce a leadership pipeline
that would last for years.
Discussion of Research Question 1
Based on the findings from the interviews, mentoring and professional development are
the common themes that provide steps a principal could take to improve a low performing
school. The findings are aligned with the theory of Transformational leadership. Bolman and
Deal (2003) outline transformational leaders as visionary leaders that hold high performance
expectations and provide structure that supports individual and collective decision making. The
participants provided a vision, encourage intellectual stimulation and motivated their
organization to improve. Drenkard (2014) suggest highly effective leaders build a strong group
culture and in turn create highly effective teams.
The education practices used by the participants identified developmental steps to
improve low performing schools in Hawaii. The practices promoted educating and supporting
new teachers with the mentor induction program (HIDOE, 2016). In addition professional
development programs promoted educating and developing leaders within HIDOE (HIDOE,
2016). The data demonstrated that the identified individuals were provided learning experiences
to develop knowledge and skills supported through the practices of mentorship (HIDOE, 2016).
These leadership practices encourage a strong organizational structure (Bolman & Deal, 2003).
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

59
The findings from the interview showed leaders build off one another and the support
structure provides teachers and principals the motivation to face challenges and steps to
overcome challenges (HIDOE, 2016). Principals share their lessons learned with other principals
and worked together to bring programs to enhance the students learning environment (HIDOE,
2016). The implementation of a school nurse as mentioned earlier assisted the school in
reducing student absences, increased classroom attendance and assisted the community in
proving care for the children (Zone Principal 2).
Research Question 2: What Leadership Behaviors are Present in Principals Improving a
School’s Academic Performance?
The second research question for this study aimed to examine the leadership behaviors of
principals trying to improve a school’s academic performance. Leadership behaviors outline the
various things leaders do in order to implement changes to their organization (Northouse, 2007).
Effective principals develop a sense of teamwork with the community in the planning and
implementing of instructional programs (Heck & Marcoulides, 1993). School principals have
the authority to implement changes to improve a school’s academic performance based on the
leadership decisions they make (Young & King, 2002). Richardson et al. (2016) suggest
effective principals can influence a student’s future earning by providing effectiveness within the
school and decrease teacher turnover. A principal’s leadership behaviors and attributes can
drastically affect a school’s academic performance. In looking at leadership behaviors,
Richardson et al. (2016) suggest good leaders share four common traits:
1. Take responsibility for the schools success
2. Lead teaching and learning in their school
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

60
3. Hire, develop, and retain qualified teachers and staff
4. Develop and build a strong school community.
Support structure. Cross communication between principals help improve student
learning. The data collected through the interview process revealed non-zone Principal number 2
felt if a feeder school doesn’t prepare the students for the next grade level then the student could
be a year or more behind. Smith (2012) suggests the behaviors children learn in grade school are
behaviors they will take outside and beyond school. It is the principal’s responsibility to
examine the schools needs and work to improve the school and that includes communicating
with other schools and community support.
Zone Principals number 1 and 2 felt RTTT was seeking to turnaround their schools’
academic performance with an aggressive plan to remove principals and half the staff.
Lochmiller and Chesnut (2017) suggest education systems that seek to remove the school
principal are taking steps to improve a school’s academic performance in a short time period.
However Zone Principal number 1 stated that if the HIDOE removed a principal there would
have been an outcry from the community. High principal turnover and expelling multiple staff
can create a sense of demoralization for teachers and staff and in turn develop a depressed
culture that could affect student learning (Rogers-Chapman, 2015). Rogers-Chapman (2015)
suggests closing a school can negatively affect students’ self-esteem and can damage their peer
relationship as they are now forced to transition to a new school.
Zone Principal number 2 explained the Complex Area Supervisors (CAS) developed a
comprehensive plan to spend the RTTT funding. Although the Complex Area (CA) develop their
own plan which addresses extended school days, teacher performance contract and evaluation,
development a human resource office in the complex area, curriculum instruction assessment
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

61
office seeking highly qualified teachers, community support, employing a health care provider
and social services for the parents and community. Non-zone Principal number 2 noted
Complex Area Support Teams (CAST) was funded by RTTT and they would visit the school to
provide recommendation to improve the school’s academic performance. CAST members visited
schools and provided assistance on implementing Hawaii’s six priority strategies. The strategies
are listed below (American Institutes for Research, 2014).
1. Implement the Common Core State Standard.
2. Use formative instruction and data teams to inform instruction.
3. Use the school’s Academic Review Team to monitor progress on the school’s
academic plan and make data-based decisions that affect achievement.
4. Provide induction and mentoring support for all beginning teachers.
5. Provide training, coaching, support, and feedback to all teachers to ensure they
maximize their effectiveness through the Educator Effectiveness System.
6. Provide comprehensive student support/response to intervention (RTI).
Result driven. Typical principals tend to be responsive to district demands, while
effective principals are proactive in regards to gaining information beneficial to the students and
school (Hall, Rutherford, Hord, & Huling, 1984). Non-zone Principal number 2 stated he heard
Hawaii was receiving RTTT funding, so he took the initiative to read about RTTT and how other
states were utilizing the funding. This helped him understand the big picture of RTTT.
A support structure helps new principals address challenging issues. Zone Principal
number 2 expressed it is a challenge for new leaders to ask the hard questions. Leaders with
experience show higher confidence. Zone Principals number 1 and 2 explains changes like
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

62
RTTT are not an issue, but it can be really difficult and it takes time to see the results. The
changes the school system makes today because of RTTT will take years to see the results.
Zone Principal number 2 outlined some of the challenges in recruiting principals. He
believes teacher effectiveness is tied to principal selection and the district has hired a few
temporarily assigned vice principals, which meant some were not fully qualified for the position.
In his area the principal needs to understand the culture and must be able to work with the
teachers, students and community (Zone Principal 2). Heck and Marcoulides (1993) suggest the
principal and teachers shape the learning experience and achievement of students to include the
schools learning environment.
Non-zone Principal number 2 shared his philosophy is to trust your faculty and have their
best interest in mind. Showing you trust your faculty helps to ensure your faculty will work with
you (Non-zone Principal 2). Principals that foster trust between themselves and staff can
effectively strengthen learning capacity within their school (Young & King, 2002). Later in the
interview he mentioned the importance of taking care of your folks first and they will take care
of the students. Principals in high performing schools involve teachers in critical decision
making, are sensitive to teachers needs and protect the staff from community and district office
interference (Hall et al., 1984; Heck & Marcoulides, 1993). Lochmiller and Chesnut (2017)
suggest teachers must be supported personally and professionally in order to improve the
school’s academic performance. Zone Principals number 1 and 2 explained school growth is
accredited to good teachers and the relationships they have with their students. An effective
teacher can make a tremendous difference in a student’s education, such as increasing the
chances of college attendance and decreasing chances of teen pregnancy, especially in low-
income schools (Donaldson & Johnson, 2010; Noell et al., 2014). Very few teachers join the
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

63
profession as an effective teacher, but rather learn to be an effective teacher through years of
experience, professional development and mentoring from seasoned teachers. People join the
profession because they want to be a teacher therefore, show higher potential to be an effective
teacher (Struyven et al., 2013). When effective teachers leave the profession they are typically
replaced with novice teachers and as a result students stand a higher chance of suffering in the
classroom (Donaldson & Johnson, 2010).
Community involvement. Principals can take various steps towards improving a
school’s academic performance. To improve a school’s academic performance a principal
requires involvement from the community to include teachers, students, parents, and community
at large (Richardson et al., 2016). All participants shared community support as a step to
improve the school’s academic performance. District administrator number 2 suggested the key
to success is working with the principals and community on any changes and getting their buy-in
to the change. Effective principals establish school goals that are supported by the community
and frequently provide progress of those goals (Heck & Marcoulides, 1993).
Community involvement can play a role in improving a school’s academic performance.
Richardson et al. (2016) suggest the principal leads the charge in moving a school in a new
direction with the assistances from the teachers, students, parents, and the community. All the
participants shared the view that community involvement is essential to improving the school’s
academic performance. Non-zone Principal number 2 explained the school implemented an
Extended Learning Time (ELT) in order to assist students struggling with the current curriculum.
ELT was intended to extend the school day by one hour. The extra hour allowed teachers to
continue working with students to improve their reading and writing skills. The issue was
without parents and community support the students that needed the extra learning time did not
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

64
attend the ELT program. Programs such as ELT need parent and community support in order to
be successful. Effective principals share school academic success with the community and
recognize the accomplishments of the students (Heck & Marcoulides, 1993). Non-zone Principal
number 2 was against the extended learning time. He recommended building the extended
learning into the current curriculum. The issue was ELT was not mandatory for students and the
students that attended ELT were not the students that needed ELT.
Discussion of Research Question 2
The results from the interviews showed three common themes in leadership behaviors.
The first one was good leaders have a support structure allowing them to learn from others and
discuss ideas of creativity and share lessons learned (Rogers-Chapman, 2015; Smith, 2012). The
second common theme was good leaders are result driven and focused on achieving goals that
lead to improvement (Heck & Marcoulides, 1993; Young & King, 2002). The third and final
theme was community support (Richardson et al., 2016). Good leaders work with and seek
approval from community members on improving the community schools’ academic
performance.
Based on the study’s finding support structure, community involvement, and result driven
are the common themes of a principal’s leadership behaviors to improving a school’s academic
performance. The findings are aligned with transformational leadership theory that recognizes
the importance of expressing confidence and arousing motivation in order to encourage student
achievement (Northouse, 2007). Effective leaders display various leadership behaviors that are
relevant for their setting.
The behaviors identified by the participants outlined the various behaviors used in
improving a school’s academic performance. The behaviors identified promoted strong
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

65
community support, the importance of qualified leadership, and principals taking charge of their
schools and making the necessary changes to academic performance. These leadership
behaviors encourage teamwork within the school and community and build towards a strong
organizational structure.
Summary
This chapter discussed the findings by research questions and explored the specific
practices used by the participants to improve a school’s academic performance. The findings of
the study were based on multiple data sources that included interviews and document reviews.
The results indicated that there are various practices an organization can utilize to improve a
school’s academic performance. The findings were aligned with the transformational leadership
theory (Northouse, 2007).
The first research question examined the leadership steps a principal can take to turn
around a low performing school. The steps include programs that promote educating, supporting
and developing teachers and principals to improve their academic performance (Drenkard, 2014;
Young & King, 2002; Vierstraete, 2005). The results indicated the appropriate leadership
programs build leadership capacity from within the education system and has the ability to
sustain a leadership pipeline (Young & King, 2002; Vierstraete, 2005). The leadership programs
brought teachers and principals from different areas to discuss common concerns. Cross talk
between principals and teachers began in training and continue through their years. When
leadership programs are effective schools will be able to provide effective teachers and in turn
improve a school’s academic performance (Drenkard, 2014).
The final research question examined the leadership behaviors present in principals who
improve a school’s academic performance. The principals’ behaviors identified were result
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

66
driven leadership, support structure and community support. The findings outlined principals
utilized support structures to share ideas, plans and lessons learned with other principals and
leaders (Rogers-Chapman, 2015; Smith, 2012). In addition the participants were result driven
and focused on achieving results towards academic success to include involving the community
for support and assistances to improve their schools’ academic performance (Richardson et al.,
2016).
The finding indicated professional development programs and leadership development
programs were funded by RTTT. The state of Hawaii used mentorship programs and
professional development programs to build leadership capacity, create effective leaders,
teachers, and build teams that can work within school systems (HIDOE, 2016). The American
Institutes for Research (2014) reported during the 4 years of RTTT funding Hawaii spent 39% of
the funding on developing teachers and leaders. The three years following Hawaii spent 41%,
38% and 38% on developing teachers and leaders.
The results also indicated the Hawaii school system has several challenges with a large
amount of low income children in the education system (American Institutes for Research,
2014). The education system implemented the extended learning time to assist low income
children to improve their academic performance. The extended learning time program lacked
support from the community and in turn failed to reach the targeted audience (American
Institutes for Research, 2014). The priority for ELT was for ZSI schools to provide additional
instruction time to students (American Institutes for Research, 2014). All the schools that
participated in the interview reported the students attending extended learning were not the
children the program was intended to reach. Rogers-Chapman (2015) suggest programs such as
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

67
extended learning time by itself does not produce improve student outcome, but rather extended
learning time complimented with increased studying has increased student success.
Chapter 5 will summarize the details of the entire study as well as continues to discuss
the findings as related to the literature review in Chapter 2. The implication, future
recommendation and conclusion will also be presented in Chapter 5.

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

68
CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY, IMPLICATIONS, AND CONCLUSION
Introduction
The previous chapter discussed the study’s findings and summarized the practices leaders
used to impact a school’s academic performance. In addition the previous chapter also
summarized the leadership behaviors that strong leaders should project to motivate and
encourage subordinates to follow their vision. The results from the study illustrated funding
from RTTT assisted in building programs such as professional development and mentorship
which are effective programs to assist in educating, integrating and building leadership capacity
within the Hawaii education system (HIDOE, 2016, Hobson et al., 2009; Vierstraete, 2005). In
addition the study’s findings summarized several challenges the Hawaii education system
continues to work through in order to improve their schools’ academic performance (Zone
Principal 1 and 2; District administrator 1 and 2; Non-zone Principal 1 and 2).
This chapter summarizes the details of the entire study as well as continues to discuss the
findings as related to the literature review in Chapter 2. The chapter examines the implication of
the study and key leadership practices for developing potential leaders and effective educators.
In addition the chapter provides recommendation for future studies in order to provide other
researchers options to conduct the study. The chapter concludes with a conclusion of the study
discussing the results of the study.
Creating high performing schools is no easy challenge and unfortunately there is no
guaranteed formula to create a high performing school. School districts across the United States
all face the challenge of turning around a low performing school. The process to turn around a
school may work on one of the Islands, but may not work on other Islands. Research on
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

69
improving a low performing school has shown that leadership is key to turning around a low
performing school (Rogers-Chapman, 2015). The theory is a new principal will serve as a
catalyst to create effective teachers, challenge students to learn more and transform the school
into a high performing school (Rogers-Chapman, 2015). Although, there is no guarantee a new
principal will improve a school’s academic performance, as some principals lack the leadership
behavior to build a culture required to turn around a low performing school even with the
additional funding from RTTT (Rogers-Chapman, 2015).
Programs such as RTTT will not single-handedly solve Hawaii’s education problems, but
it did provide Hawaii a large amount of money to assist in moving the education program in the
right direction. Hawaii used the funding to improve various areas such as leadership, teacher
evaluation and mentorship programs within the education system. All the principals stated they
did not receive any funding from RTTT, but it was used to fund professional development,
mentor induction and cognitive coaches for principals. The American Institutes for Research
(2014) reported in the first year of RTTT ZSI schools received 4% of RTTT funding, but over
the next three years the schools saw an increase in funding from 26% the second year to 28%
year three and in the final year 28%.
Cognitive coaches help to develop a principal’s leadership skills and teach various
techniques to use for problem solving (Rogers, Hauserman, & Skytt, 2016). Cognitive coaching
assist new principals in developing the school mission, vision, planning, and developing
professional development options for the teachers and staff (Rogers et al., 2016). In addition
professional development and cognitive coaches are creating competence in leaders and that is
creating a trusting school culture, which is a factor that promotes school improvement (Rogers-
Chapman, 2015).
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

70
Summary of Findings
The previous chapter discussed the findings by research question and explored the
specific used by the participants to improve a school’s academic performance. As mentioned
early in Chapter 4, the results of the study indicated there were various practices an organization
can utilize to improve a school’s academic performance. Results from the study indicated a
tendency toward transformational leadership is not successfully linked to successful schools.
Transformational leadership serves as a behavior which promotes exchanges and elevates the
ideas (Harrison, 2011; Northouse, 2007). Transformational leadership encourages followers to
transcend their self-interest and develop goals for the good of the order (Harrison, 2011;
McCarley, Peters, & Decman, 2014). As schools work to improve student achievement scores,
data from this study may assist educators across the state of Hawaii to understand the importance
of leadership style in the curriculum alignment initiatives that directly impact student and
behavioral outcomes. Furthermore, school principals may use the data from this study to identify
specific professional development needs and they may encourage additional training at the
university level. Professional development and cognitive coaching are essential as schools
search for methods to improve teacher efficiency and increase student achievement (Rogers et
al., 2016; Young & King, 2002).
The transformational leadership signs that were evident was Hawaii leadership did
provide a vision to guide changes within the educations program and the vision challenged
followers to become leaders (Harrison, 2011; McCarley et al., 2014). The key program used to
create leaders was professional development classes that focused on educating, building
confidence and developing leadership skills. In addition mentorship assisted in integrating new
principals and teachers into the education field. Mentorship worked to build partnerships and
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

71
reduce teacher attrition. Vierstraete (2005) suggest mentor programs can reduce teacher attrition
rates with regular meetings between new teachers and senior teachers (Harrison et al., 2006;
Hobson et al., 2009). This finding was important to the study because it provided an
understanding on how to build leadership capacity. Focusing on improving a principal’s
leadership skills and creating highly effective teachers are steps towards improving the education
the students of Hawaii will receive.
The research did suggest a correlation between transformational leadership and
transactional leadership (Harrison, 2011; Northouse, 2007; Odumeru & Ogbonna, 2013).
Several of the participants shared leadership behaviors that are common among transformational
leaders. Transformational leadership forms the foundation of recent leadership studies. It
focused on the more personal side of organizational interactions. Words such as climate, vision,
values, development, teamwork, and service describe transformational leadership (Harrison,
2011; Northouse, 2007). Transformational leadership promotes interpersonal relationship and
fosters communication. Transformational leaders meet the needs and wants of their followers
instead of driving them through the exercise of power (Harrison, 2011). Transactional leaders
accept goals, structure and the culture of the organization (Odumeru & Ogbonna, 2013).
Transactional leaders are extrinsic motivators and action-orientated seeking results beneficial to
the organization (Odumeru & Ogbonna, 2013).
Transformational leadership is important in promoting and managing school development
by influencing teachers both directly and indirectly. A principal that provides the time to coach,
evaluate and develop the education program for the school has set the conditions for positive
student gains (Khachatryan, 2015). The literature indicated that structure and support go together
within a climate of trust established by the principal. Principals build trust among their staff and
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

72
teachers by providing honest feedback that is focused on the task at hand (Khachatryan, 2015).
Good education leaders are those principals who inspire through creation of trust among their
followers.
Hawaii Department of Education must invest in an educating and continuous learning
culture to develop a sustainment leadership pipeline. In building an evolving learning culture
trust must be at the forefront of discusses. Trust is important to building a culture that encourages
the teachers and the community to work as a team and is a transformational leadership quality.
Trust is a part of the culture that is needed to build leadership capacity (Khachatryan, 2015;
Mason, 2016; Young & King, 2002). The principal plays an important role in achieving an
environment founded on trust as the principal’s actions are aligned with the school vision.
Research for this study was conducted on four schools which had principals with different
leadership styles to indicate the impact a principal has on improving a school’s academic
performance.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this research was to conduct an exploratory study on the impact of a
principal’s leadership in Hawaiian schools participating in the RTTT program. The study
analyzed the principal’s leadership and the influence a school principal has towards a school’s
academic performance to determine if there is an impact in student achievement in RTTT.
RTTT recommends focusing on one of the four parts in the Hawaii school intervention
model, which outlines ways to improve the performance of Hawaii’s lowest performing schools.
This study focused on Hawaii’s turnaround model, one of the four school intervention models
that entail replacing the school principal and no less than 50% of the staff in the lowest-achieving
schools (USDOE, 2012). The intent on replacing the school principal is to bring in somebody
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

73
who is creative, honest, and a visionary leader that can help lead the school to academic success
(Waldron et al., 2011). Principals making changes to improve academic success have various
options such as; empowering teachers in the decision making process, assigning mentors for new
teachers, and providing professional development opportunities for veteran teachers (Elliott &
Clifford, 2014; Noell et al., 2014). Empowering teachers allows them to feel like they are part of
the team and that they can foster growth within the school (Bolman & Deal, 2003). Mentoring
and professional development are signs of investing in the teachers and in turn this creates
effective teachers that can positively impact student learning. Kingsley (2012) suggests training
teachers to provide professional learning can produce powerful results and in turn improve a
school’s academic performance.
Research Questions
This study attempted to identify the impact a school principal has on Hawaiian schools by
evaluating a principal’s leadership steps to improving a low performing school and leadership
behaviors. The following research questions were used to guide this study:
1. What leadership steps does a principal take to turn around a low performing school?
2. What leadership behaviors are present in principals who improve a school’s academic
performance?
Implication for Practice
The findings from this study suggest that building leadership capacity and creating
effective educators could inadvertently affect a school’s academic improvement. Hawaii focused
on building leadership capacity and creating effective educators through recruitment, training
and evaluation of school staff (American Institutes for Research, 2014). The practice that
emerged for developing potential leaders and effective educators was central to Hawaii’s plan to
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

74
recruit, train and provide an effective evaluation system to improve the education Hawaii
students were receiving (American Institutes for Research, 2014). Funding from RTTT clearly
provided Hawaii the opportunity to make bold decisions in order to reorganize (Yatsko et al.,
2015) the school system by placing an emphasis in investing in leadership within the education
system. Educational institution may find this study helpful in determining leadership practices
and trends to develop leadership capacity and create effective educators from within the
organization.
Building Leadership Capacity
Building leadership capacity has a significant implication for the Hawaii Department of
Education in ensuring to invest in the right people, at the right time and with the right training.
Exploring effective principal leadership styles and the relationship to student achievement may
make it possible to effectively promote and follow through with needed educational and social
initiatives with the educational setting which results in improved student achievement scores.
The principal establishes the organization’s core values for subordinates to follow and enforce
(Tsai, 2011). The intent of this study was to help current school districts understand the process
of identifying leadership steps and behaviors that are effective in fostering student achievement.
This study demonstrated the importance of nesting leadership development with the
educations system’s vision and goals (Bolman & Deal, 2003; Elkins, 2015). District and school
leaders should be leading the charge in developing leadership programs that are top down with
bottom up refinement focused on achieving the organization’s overall vision and goals. School
district leaders need to ensure the vision for building leadership capacity is common across all
schools regardless if they are ZSI or Non-ZSI schools. In addition district leaders need to
communicate with school principals on the desired criteria for new leaders in an effort to attain a
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

75
sustainable leadership program. District leaders establishing a common definition of the
leadership requirements ensure expectation management of what is expected of a principal as a
leader.
Creating Effective Educators
Creating effective principals and teachers is crucial to improving a school’s academic
performance. An effective teacher can make a tremendous difference in a student’s education,
such as increasing the chances of college attendance and decreasing chances of teen pregnancy,
especially in low-income schools (Donaldson & Johnson, 2010; Noell et al., 2014). Very few
teachers join the profession as an effective teacher, but rather learn to be an effective teacher
through years of experience, professional development and mentoring from seasoned teachers.
People join the profession because they want to be a teacher therefore, show higher potential to
be an effective teacher (Struyven et al., 2013). When effective teachers leave the profession they
are typically replaced with novice teachers and as a result students stand a higher chance of
suffering in the classroom (Donaldson & Johnson, 2010).
Effective teachers that display self-efficacy believe they have the ability to impact
students’ motivation and achievement. Teachers that teach a course in their field of expertise
have expressed they feel better prepared to teach the course and in turn are less likely to leave the
school or even the profession (Donaldson & Johnson, 2010). It is important that teachers feel
confident in their ability to teach as that reduces the stress that comes along with the profession.
Novice teachers new to the profession struggle to learn what techniques work best in the
classroom in order to motivate their students. The fact is many teachers learn which techniques
are best from on the job training (Donaldson & Johnson, 2010).
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

76
Recommendations for Future Research
The results from this study did not successfully determine there is a significant
relationship between a principal’s leadership steps and behaviors towards student achievement.
Based upon the findings in this study, the following recommendations for further study are
suggested:
1. This study could be replicated involving a larger cross-section of principals and
teachers from different Islands. This would provide more in-depth information in
greater detail regarding leadership steps and behaviors in improving a school’s
academic performance.
2. This study could be replicated to determine if demographics such as education
experience, length of experience as a principal, type of educational background,
gender, and race have any effects on the development of leadership behaviors of the
principals.
3. This study could be replicated within the school district using both elementary and
secondary schools. This would provide a broader sample of leadership behaviors
present and steps used to improve a school’s academic performance. By utilizing the
same design that the researcher used in this study, principals will be able to know
what leadership steps other principals used to analyze a possible correlation to student
achievement.
4. This study should be replicated to include veteran principals’ leadership steps and
behavior compared to that of new principals. This study may provide insight on the
different leadership steps and behaviors between the two groups with a comparison of
student achievement data.
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

77
Conclusion
To conclude, the results of the data analysis did not support research hypotheses. The
results from research questions 1 and 2 failed to support the hypothesis that there is a correlation
between principal leadership styles and student achievement. Principals do provide direction,
vision and a strategy for a school to follow in improving a school’s academic performance,
which is the core of the schools focus (Walala, Waiganjo, & Njeru, 2015). A principal’s
direction and vision could inadvertently impact student learning through enhancement to the
curriculum, empowering teachers and professional development (Heck & Marcoulides, 1993).
The interviews of six participants did not provide overwhelming proof that a school principal is
the single point of success or failure to improve a school’s academic performance. The results
from the study were not the result the researcher expected, but the data cannot support any other
conclusion.
This study contributed to understanding the leadership steps a principal can take in
improving a school’s academic performance. Leadership remains difficult to understand because
of the many factors that influence a principal. The challenge is the steps one principal uses to
improve a school’s academic performance may not work at another school. The development of
leadership programs should continue to evolve in order to ensure principals and teachers have
access to the latest technology to continue to challenge the students in the classroom.

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

78
REFERENCES
American Institutes for Research. (2013, October). Evaluation of Hawaii’s Race to the Top:
Second evaluation report. Honolulu, HI: Hawaii State Department of Education.
Retrieved from https://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/DOE%20Forms/
RTTT/AIR_RTTT2nd.pdf
American Institutes for Research. (2014, September). Evaluation of Hawaii’s Race to the Top:
Third evaluation report. Honolulu, HI: Hawaii State Department of Education. Retrieved
from https://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/DOE%20Forms/RTTT/AIR_RTTT3rd.pdf
Barrera-Osorio, F., & Raju, D. (2017). Teacher performance pay: Experimental evidence from
Pakistan. Journal of Public Economics, 148, 75-91.
Berkovich, I. (2016). School leaders and transformational leadership theory: Time to part ways.
Journal of Educational Administration, 54(5), 609-622.
Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (2007). Qualitiative research for education. An introduction to
theory and methods (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2003). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership.
(3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bradley-Levine, J., Lee, J. S., & Mosier, G. (2016). Teacher mentoring as a community effort.
Social Science and Mathematics, 116(2), 71-82.
Bredeson, P. V., & Johansson, O. (2000). The school principal’s role in teacher professional
development. Journal of In-Service Education, 26(2), 385-401.
Brunetti, G. (2001). Why do they teach? A study of job satisfaction among long-term high school
teachers. Teacher Education Quarterly, 28(3), 49-74.
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

79
Catmull, E., & Wallace, A. (2014). Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the unseen forces that stand in
the way of true inspiration. New York, NY: Random House.
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for
developing ground theory (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Cwikla, J. (2004). Less experienced mathematics teachers report what’s wrong with their
professional support system. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 10(2), 181-
197.
Dee, T. S., & Wyckoff, J. (2015). Incentives, selection and teacher performance: Evidence from
impact. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 34(2), 267-297.
Doggett, L., & Wat, A. (2010). Why pre-K for all? Phi Delta Kappan, 92(3), 8-11.
Donaldson, M. L., & Johnson, S. M. (2010). The price of misassignment: The role of teaching
assignments in Teach for America teachers’ exit from low-income schools and the
teaching profession. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 32(2), 299-323.
Drenkard, K. (2014). Transformational leadership. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 43(2),
57-58.
Elkins, R. (2015). Leadership: Elevate yourself and those around you (4th ed.). North
Charleston, SC: CreateSpace.
Elliott, S. N., & Clifford, M. (2014, September). Principal assessment: Leadership behaviors
known to influence schools and the learning of all students (CEEDAR Document No. LS-
5). Gainesville, FL: CEEDAR. Retrieved from http://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2014/09/LS-5_FINAL_09-26-14.pdf
Farkas, G. (2000). Teaching low-income children to read at grade level. Contemporary
Sociology, 29(1), 53-61.
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

80
Hall, G., Rutherford, W. L., Hord, M. S., & Huling, L. L. (1984). Effects of three principal styles
on school improvement. Educational Leadership, 41(5), 22-29.
Harold K. L. Castle Foundation. (2010, May). Strengthening Hawaii’s principal pipeline: Voices
from the field. Kailua, HI: Author.
Harrison, J., Dymoke, S., & Pell, T. (2006). Mentoring beginning teachers in secondary schools:
An analysis of practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22, 1055-1067.
Harrison, L. M. (2011). Transformational leadership, integrity, and power. New Directions for
Student Services, 2011(135), 45-52.
Hawaii State Department of Education. (2014, June 11). New leadership principal group will
help shape education priorities. Honolulu, HI: Author. Retrieved from
http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/ConnectWithUs/MediaRoom/PressReleases/Pages/P
rincipal-group.aspx
Hawaii State Department of Education. (2016). Educator effectiveness. Honolulu, HI: Author.
Retrieved from http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/TeachingAndLearning/
EducatorEffectiveness/Pages/Home.aspx
Heck, R. H., & Marcoulides, G. A. (1993). Principal leadership behaviors and school
achievement. NASSP Bulletin, 77(553), 21-27.
Hobson, A. J., Ashby, P., Malderez, A., & Tomlinson, P. D. (2009). Mentoring beginning
teachers: What we know and what we don’t. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(1),
207-216.
Jacob, B. A., & Lefgren, L. (2007). In low-income schools, parents want teachers who teach. In
affluent schools, other things matter. Education Next, 7(3), 59-64. Retrieved from
http://educationnext.org/in-lowincome-schools-parents-want-teachers-who-teach/
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

81
Judge, T., Ilies, R., Bono, J., & Gerhardt, M. (2002). Personality and leadership: A qualitative
and quantitative review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 765-780.
Khachatryan, E. (2015). Feedback on teaching from observation of teaching: What do
administrators say and what do teachers think about it? NASSP Bulletin, 99(2), 164-188.
Kingsley, J. (2012). Investing in teacher leaders. Leadership, 41(3), 24-26.
Leadership. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/leadership
Lochmiller, C. R., & Chesnut, C. E. (2017). Preparing turnaround leaders for high needs urban
schools. Journal of Educational Aministration, 55(1), 85-102.
Lohman, J. (2010). Comparing No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top (OLR Research Report
2010-R-0235). Hartford, CT: Connecticut General Assembly, Office of Legislative
Research.
Mason, M. K. (2016). Thoughts on leadership: How important is decision making? Retrieved
from http://www.moyak.com/papers/leadership-qualities.html
Maxwell, J. A. (2013). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (3rd ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage.
McCarley, T. A., Peters, M. L., & Decman, J. M. (2014). Transformational leadership related to
school climate: A multi-level analysis. Educational Management Administration and
Leadership, 44(2), 322-342.
Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

82
Noell, G. H., Brownell, M. T., Buzick, H. M., & Jones, N. D. (2014, September). Using educator
effectiveness measures to improve educator preparation programs and student outcomes
(CEEDAR Document No. LS-1). Gainesville, FL: CEEDAR Center. Retrieved from
http://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/portfolio/using-educator-effectiveness-measures-to-
improve-educator-preparation-programs-and-student-outcomes/
Northouse, P. G. (2007). Leadership theory and practice (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Northouse, P. G. (2015). Introduction to leadership concepts and practices (3rd ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage.
Obama, B. H. (2010, January 19). Remarks by the President on Race to the Top at Graham Road
Elementary School. Speech presented at Graham Road Elementary School, Falls Church,
VA.
Odumeru, J. A., & Ogbonna, I. G. (2013). Transformational vs transactional leadership theories:
Evidence in literature. International Review of Management and Business Research, 2(2),
355-361.
Orland-Barak, L., & Hasin, R. (2010). Exemplary mentors’ perspectives towards mentoring
across mentoring contexts: Lessons from collective case studies. Teaching and Teacher
Education, 26(2010), 427-437.
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage.
Piaw, C. Y., Hee, T. F., Ismail, N. R., & Ying, L. H. (2014). Factors of leadership skills of
secondary school principals. Procedia — Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116, 5125-
5129.
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

83
Richardson, J. W., Watts, D. S., Hollis, E., & McLeod, S. (2016). Are changing school needs
reflected in principal job ads? NASSP Bulletin, 100(1), 71-92.
Rogers, W. T., Hauserman, C. P., & Skytt, J. (2016). Using cognitive coaching to build school
leadership capacity: A case study in Alberta. Canadian Journal of Education, 39(3), 1-
29.
Rogers-Chapman, M. F. (2015). Obama’s education plan: The theory of action behind turning
around America’s worst schools. Education and Urban Society, 47(4), 476-495.
Schechner, S., & Poslusny, M. (2010). Mentoring successful teacher-scholars. The Journal of
Faculty Development, 24(3), 31-36.
Simon, N. S., & Johnson, S. M. (2015). Teacher turnover in high-poverty schools: What we
know and can do. Teachers College Record, 117(3), 1-36.
Smircich, L., & Morgan, G. (1982). Leadership: The management of meaning. The Journal of
Applied Behavioral Science, 18(3), 257-273.
Smith, S. C. (2012). Cultural relay in early childhood education: Methods of teaching school
behavior to low-income children. Urban Review, 44(5), 571-588.
Struyven, K., Jacobs, K., & Dochy, F. (2013). Why do they want to teach? The multiple reasons
of different groups of students for undertaking teacher education. European Journal of
Psychology of Education, 28(3), 1007-1022. doi:10.1007/s10212-012-0151-4
Tsai, Y. (2011). Relationship between organizational culture, leadership behavior and job
satisfaction. BMC Health Services Research, 11(98), 1-9. Retrieved from
http://biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/11/98
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

84
U.S. Department of Education. (2012). Race to the Top: Hawaii report, year 1: School year
2010-2011. Washington, D.C.: Author. Retrieved from
https://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/performance/hawaii-year-1.pdf
U.S. Department of Education (2013). Race to the Top: Hawaii report, year 2: School year
2011-2012. Washington, D.C.: Author. Retrieved from
https://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/performance/hawaii-year-2.pdf
U.S. Department of Education (2014). Race to the Top: Hawaii report, year 3: School year
2012-2013. Washington, D.C.: Author. Retrieved from
https://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/performance/hawaii-year-3.pdf
U.S. Department of Education. (2015a). Race to the Top: Hawaii report, year 4: School year
2013-2014. Washington, D.C.: Author.
U.S. Department of Education. (2015b, November). Fundamental change: Innovation in
America’s schools under Race to the Top. Washington, D.C.: Author. Retrieved from
https://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/rttfinalrpt1115.pdf
Vierstraete, S. (2005). Mentorship: Toward success in teacher induction and retention. Catholic
Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, 8(3), 381-392.
Vito, G. F., Higgins, G. E., & Denny, A. S. (2014). Transactional and transformational
leadership: An examination of the leadership challenge model. An International Journal
of Police Strategies and Management, 37(4), 809-822.
Walala, S. J., Waiganjo, E. W., & Njeru, W. (2015). Effects of leadership style on the delivery of
quality education in public technical and vocational education institutions in Kenya.
International Journal of Business Administration, 6(1), 63-76.
RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

85
Waldron, N. L., McLeskey, J., & Redd, L. (2011). Setting the direction: The role of the principal
in developing an effective, inclusive school. Journal of Special Education Leadership,
24(2), 51-60.
Weiss, E. (2013, September 12). Mismatches in Race to the Top limit educational improvement:
Lack of time, resources, and tools to address opportunity gaps puts lofty state goals out
of reach. Washington D.C.: Economic Policy Institute. Retrieved from
http://www.epi.org/publication/race-to-the-top-goals/
Yatsko, S., Lake, R., Bowen, M., & Nelson, C. E. (2015). Federal school improvement grants
(SIGs): How capacity and local conditions matter. Peabody Journal of Education, 90, 27-
52.
Young, P., & King, M. B. (2002). Principal leadership for professional development to build
school capacity. Educational Administration Quarterly, 38(5), 643-670.
Yuan, K., Vi-Nhuan, L., McCaffrey, D., Marsh, J., Hamilton, L. S., Stecher, B. M., & Springer,
M. S. (2013). Incentive pay programs do not affect teacher motivation or reported
practices: Results from three randomized studies. Education Evaluation and Policy
Analysis, 35(1), 3-22.

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

86
APPENDIX A
PARTICIPANT RECRUITMENT LETTER
Dear Participant,

You are cordially invited to participate in this study because of your position as a school
principal with promising leadership practices. I am a doctoral candidate in the Rossier School of
Education at the University of Southern California completing my dissertation. The purpose of
the study is to examine your leadership qualities, which will contribute to understanding best
practices, and to assist other organizations looking to strengthen their leadership development.

This interview will take about 60 minutes and will include 14 questions regarding your
experiences as a principal. I would like your permission to tape record this interview, so I may
accurately document the information you convey. If at any time during the interview you wish
to discontinue the use of the recorder or the interview itself, please feel free to let me know. All
of your responses are confidential.

Thank you for your consideration to participate in this study. If at any time you need to stop,
take a break, or return a page, please let me know. You may also withdraw your participation at
any time without consequence. Do you have any questions or concerns before we begin? Then
with your permission, we will begin the interview.

If you have any questions or would like to participate, please contact me.

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

87
APPENDIX B
INTERVIEW PROTOCOL
Name of School _______________________________________
Participant’s Name _______________________________________
Location _______________________________________
Interviewer _______________________________________
Time Start_______ End_______ Total_____________

I would like to start asking you some questions about your experiences as a principal.
1. How long have you been in a principal/leadership position?
2. Have you been a principal at any other schools? If so, what other schools?
3. Tell me about your experiences as a principal at this school?

Now, I would like to ask questions about your leadership.

4. What do you feel are the challenges that hinder leadership opportunities for school
principals?
5. What changes do you feel should be implemented to build leadership in your
organization?
6. Who has been the most influential in helping you to develop in your role and how have
they assisted you in your development?
7. What kind of support or opportunities have you received in your current leadership
position?
8. What leadership skills have your and your administrators learned through implementation
of RTTT?
9. What type of leadership development programs have you established for your school?
10. What leadership programs were implemented as a result of Race to the Top?
11. What are the leadership challenges between ZSI and Non-ZSI schools?
12. What impact did Race to the Top have on leadership strategies in the ZSI?
13. What changes were observed in leadership approaches when Race to the Top funding
ended?
14. As we finish up this interview, I want to ensure that I understand your experiences a
principal. I would like to provide you an opportunity to share anything you feel is
important about principal leadership that I have not asked.

RTTT SCHOOLS AND THE IMPACT A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS

88
APPENDIX C
RESEARCHER CONSENT LETTER

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The study examined the leadership framework that included the Transformational Leadership Theory. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact a Hawaii school principal has on Zone of School Innovation (ZSI) and Non-Zone of School Innovation (Non-ZSI) in the Race to the Top program. The study analyzed a principal’s leadership and the influence a school principal has towards a school’s academic performance. The goal of the study was to identify leadership trends and similar practices used by Hawaii Principals to improve a school’s academic performance. A qualitative case study method was utilized to examine leadership trends and practices of two school principals of ZSI schools and two principals in Non-ZSI schools. Six participants were interviewed: two principals in ZSI schools, two principals in Non-ZSI schools and two District managers. The interviews explored the experiences of the participants and common trends used to improve a school’s academic performance. The findings from the study indicated there are many promising practices and similar trends Hawaii’s leadership used to improve a school’s academic performance. The development of School leaders through professional development and mentorship was a key practice to educate and develop leadership capacity within the Hawaii education system. Furthermore, the factors of a support structure and community support assisted in addressing the academic challenges the schools are facing. The study demonstrates the way a principal’s leadership style and behavior can impact a school development and can inadvertently impact a school’s academic improvement.

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

A qualitative study on Hawaii's use of Race to the Top funding on extended learning time in a Zone of School Innovation

PDF

Race to the Top funding: allocation, accountability and distributed leadership

PDF

The Hawai'i State Teachers’ Association and Race to the Top: HSTA’S role in the RTTT grant

PDF

An exploratory study of professional development to improve student reading: a case study in Oahu Hawaii

PDF

A case study of an evidence-based approach to resource allocation at a school for at-risk and incarcerated students in Hawaii

PDF

A case study analysis of high school principals' criteria in the teacher selection process

PDF

Influences on principals' leadership practice

PDF

Promising practices: building the next generation of effective school principals

PDF

Promising practices: developing principal leadership succession

PDF

An investigation of hiring English language learner paraprofessionals in Hawaii

PDF

Teacher perception of the implementation of the educator effectiveness system

PDF

The Bridge Program and underrepresented Latino students: an evaluation study

PDF

Evaluating the needs of trainers in implementing a school-wide meditation program

PDF

Keeping principals at the top of the class: an innovation study of principal leadership, self-efficacy, and the pursuit of leadership development

PDF

Principal leadership for diffusing innovation across an established, high-performing K-12 school system

PDF

Addressing the principal shortage: women teachers

PDF

Building leadership capacity to support principal succession

PDF

A Catholic school dilemma: Adopt Common Core State Standards?

PDF

Principal leadership succession: developing the next generation of leaders

PDF

Factors that facilitate or hinder staff performance during management turnover

Asset Metadata

Creator Williams, Anthony (author)

Core Title Exploratory study on Race to the Top schools and the impact a school principal has on a school’s academic performance

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 06/21/2017

Defense Date 04/13/2017

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Education,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Picus, Lawrence (committee chair), Datta, Monique (committee member), Green, Alan (committee member)

Creator Email aiwillia@usc.edu,antman_009@yahoo.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-389697

Unique identifier UC11265636

Identifier etd-WilliamsAn-5445.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-389697 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-WilliamsAn-5445.pdf

Dmrecord 389697

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Williams, Anthony

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

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 a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA