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The effects of coaching on building and sustaining effective leadership practice of an urban school administrator
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The effects of coaching on building and sustaining effective leadership practice of an urban school administrator
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Content
THE EFFECTS OF COACHING ON BUILDING AND SUSTAINING
EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP PRACTICE OF AN URBAN SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATOR
by
Stacey Badawi
___________________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
August 2009
Copyright 2009 Stacey Badawi
ii
DEDICATION
This study is dedicated to Omar Badawi, Dr. Kimberly Vladovic and Dr. Helena
Yoon. These three people have encouraged me through their devoted faith in my
abilities and loved me along each step of this incredible journey, despite my many
flaws and eccentricities. I could not have completed this without them.
My dear husband and soul mate Omar, throughout the doctoral program and
writing of this paper, your undying encouragement and love for me is what kept me
persevering. I could not have completed this without your supportive nature and
ability to make life easier each day I was presented with a new challenge. Never
once did you doubt my ability to achieve to my highest potential. Your love has
made me the person I am today and has opened my eyes to a world of endless
possibilities and adventures. There is no other person I would rather continue this
journey of life and eternity with. You have challenged me to allow my heart to grow
more each day that we are together, and as we await the birth of our daughter Bella, I
am filled with amazement and excitement to begin the expedition into parenthood
with you.
My darling Kim, your friendship has fulfilled me in ways I was not even
aware existed. Throughout these last three years, I have found your support,
guidance and humor an essential component to not only keeping me sane, but to fully
enjoying life. I look to you now as my dear sister, someone who I know I will be
able to count on for the rest of my life. I am excited to begin a new journey of
experiences that require only laughter and love. Despite the challenges that life
iii
sometimes brings, your support throughout this program has brought me the
knowledge that I will always have your friendship through the tears and heartache
that life sometimes brings. I will always be there for you as well.
Dearest Helena, our sisterhood of friendship has driven me to take my
thinking and learning to new levels. During our doctoral coursework and writing of
this paper, we have worked side by side, encouraging each other and looking to one
another for support in learning those important lessons from life. It was your positive
attitude towards all challenges that we faced and confidence in me that allowed me
to succeed. You have claimed a place in my heart that will always remain yours.
iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to acknowledge and thank my committee members; Dr.
Margaret Reed, Dr. Dominic Brewer and Dr. Gwen Gross for their support, input and
encouragement, which has challenged me to extend my thinking and awareness to
new limits. I would additionally like to thank to Dr. Shantanu Duttahamed for his
hard work, humor and flexibility, and Dr. Kathy Stowe for her friendship and faith in
my ability to succeed.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication ……………………………………………………………………….. ...ii
Acknowledgments ……………………………………………………………… ...iv
List of Tables ……………………………………………………………………....vi
List of Figures …………………………………………………………………. ...vii
Abstract ……………………………………………………………………….. ...viii
Chapter 1: Introduction ………………………………………………………….. ...1
Chapter 2: Literature Review ………………………………………………….. ....15
Chapter 3: Methods …………………………………………………………….. ...47
Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Findings …………………………………………...74
Chapter 5: Discussion and Recommendations ………………………………... ...104
References …………………………………………………………………….. ...121
Appendix A: Interview Protocols ……………………………………………......127
Appendix B: Post-Coaching Scores …………………………………………... ...132
vi
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Student Percentages of Proficient or Advanced Scores on Language …...60
Arts California Standards Test
Table 2. Student Percentages of Proficient or Advanced Scores on Math ……. ...60
California Standards Test
Table 3. Data Collection Instrument …………………………………………… ...72
Table 4. Timeline of Study ……………………………………………………. ...72
Table 5. Summary of Whitebriar Principal Goals for Leadership Practices ….. ...94
and School Wide Goals
vii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Percentage of Students Scoring Proficient or Advanced on ………… ...7
Language Arts CST
Figure 2. Percentage of Students Scoring Proficient or Advanced on Math …... ...8
CST
Figure 3. Leadership Creation ………………………………………………... ...33
Figure 4. Framework for Study ………………………………………………. ...46
Figure 5. VAL-ED Sample …………………………………………………… ...63
Figure 6. VAL-ED Overall Effectiveness Sample ……………………………. ...69
Figure 7. VAL-ED Leadership Effectiveness ………………………………… ...70
viii
ABSTRACT
This study examined the impact of working with a CLASS coach on an urban
school principal’s learning centered leadership practice. This mixed-methods case
study investigated the following three questions: 1) How does working with a
CLASS leadership coach influence leadership practices of urban school principals?
2) In what ways does the leadership practice influence the professional practice of
teachers? 3) In what ways does leadership practice influence and incorporate the
values of faculty and the community?
The principal worked with a CLASS trained coach three months during the
period of data collection. The effects of the coaching were measured using the online
Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED) survey, an instrument
that provided a summary of the principal’s and the teachers’ perceptions of the
leader’s effectiveness on learning-focused leadership behaviors that have been found
to correlate with student achievement (Murphy, 2007). In addition, qualitative data
were collected from principal and teacher interviews.
There was some evidence to indicate that the coaching positively impacted
the principal’s practice of effective leadership behaviors. Effects of the coaching on
the principal’s behavior included: 1) the principal devoted increased amounts of time
to classroom observations and provided teachers with positive, immediate feedback;
2) the principal placed additional focus on staff development and trained teachers to
be the leaders of this kind of professional development; 3) the principal placed an
increased emphasis on data analysis and next steps to meet the needs of the learners.
ix
There was some evidence that these conditions had a positive influence on the
teachers’ practice; however, the extent to which these practices were impacted could
not be determined. Additionally, there was some evidence that the leader
incorporated some of the values and beliefs of faculty and community in the decision
making process.
1
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
In the year 2002, the direction of education took a turn back to the
educational themes and initiatives that were originally introduced in the 1960s. After
several failed attempts by President Kennedy to implement new educational reforms
focusing on improving access to equitable education for impoverished children,
President Johnson assigned a team known as the Gardener Task Force, led by John
W. Gardener and nine others, to submit reports determining the areas of education
which were in need of the most dire reforms. In 1965, the results of the task force
concluded that the major area within educational reform efforts that needed critical
attention was in the area of aide to poor and disadvantaged children and creating
equitable opportunities for them to learn (Cross, 2004). It was these aforementioned
study and its findings that laid the foundation for President Johnson’s proposal for
Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Title I of ESEA was
created to be a source of funding for schools with the intent of assisting
economically disadvantaged children to overcome the inequities of education
associated with poverty. Research documents a strong, positive correlation between
education levels and income that are maintained over the course of one’s lifetime
(Brewer et. al., 1999).
The United States education system in the 1940s and 1950s was linked
directly to national defense. In the 1960s, educational reforms began to fight the war
on poverty and educational inequities. In the 1980s, the pendulum of American
education began to swing in a new direction. During this era, the education system
2
was regarded as “failing” by The National Commission on Excellence In Education
in their report, A Nation At Risk (1983). The report contended that synthesized that
“secondary school curricula have been homogenized, diluted, and diffused to the
point that they no longer have a central purpose” (The National Commission on
Excellence In Education, 1983). In addition, the report highlighted gaps between the
knowledge acquired by American students compared to foreign students, and
additionally pointed to the problem of poorly prepared teachers, hours of academic
instruction being wasted every week, and severe deficits in student aptitude in
mathematics and science. The recommendations of the report detailed that it was
necessary to focus on academic achievement, and the emphasis in educational reform
efforts was drawn away from equitable opportunity of access to education.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002 steered educational reform
efforts back towards alleviating the inequities within education. Phrases employed by
President Johnson in his passage of ESEA such as “ an opportunity to learn” could
be heard echoed by both President Clinton and President Bush in their educational
initiatives. NCLB (2002) included major revamping and implementation of testing
systems based on content standards to determine that a school was meeting their
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) benchmarks. NCLB required that by 2005-2006,
all states would develop and administer annual tests in reading and math in grades 3-
8 which were aligned with pre-determined state content standards. The data of these
scores would be disaggregated by subgroups with the goal of clearly identifying gaps
between lower socioeconomic groups, and more socio-economically advantaged
3
peers and across ethnicities. These scores would be linked to the school’s AYP,
which is a measure of whether all students are performing at proficiency or higher
(Manna, 2004).
Under NCLB, educational reform initiatives focused on the implementation
of content standards with the emphasis on holding teachers, schools and districts
accountable for student learning through the use of standardized achievement tests
(Leithwood, Louis, Anderson & Wahlstrom, 2004). California responded to NCLB
by assigning each school an Academic Performance Index (API) score out of 1000,
which measures the academic performance and targeted growth of a school. The
benchmark for an API score is 800 or higher. One of the indicators used to generate a
school’s API are student scores on the California Standards Tests (CSTs) in
conjunction with rates of passage on the California High School Exit Examination
(CAHSEE), upon which student graduation from high school is contingent. These
standardized tests made the identification of high and low performing schools easily
accessible public knowledge by locating the school’s API either through newspapers,
school newsletters or on the internet.
This notion of state content standards and accountability greatly impacted the
culture of urban schools across the nation. Often these underperforming schools were
found to lack the credentials, experience, drive or motivation needed to be
successful. Professional educators need such qualities and it is essential that schools
are equipped with only the highest quality professional educators. A strong leader is
4
needed to guide these individuals along the journey to becoming professional
educators.
The California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (CPSELs)
were developed as a set of criteria to hold principals accountable for ensuring
improved professional practice and student achievement (WestEd, 2003). The
CPSELs are based on The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC)
national standards, which consist of a set of beliefs, dispositions, and practices that
leaders should demonstrate. The CPSELs emphasize that effective leaders should
exhibit proficiency in each of the following six leadership standards: 1) Developing,
implementing, and supporting a shared vision; 2) Developing a school culture that
promotes a strong instructional program, fosters professional growth, and possesses
inherent accountability measures; 3) Creating and managing an organization that
ensures a safe and effective learning environment; 4) Building a collaborative school
community and relationships with outside resources; 5) Demonstrate and model a
commitment to professional growth; and 6) Include all stakeholders in the decision-
making process (WestEd, 2003).
Standards Based Accountability and the Achievement Gap
Urban schools began to take center stage as the NCLB (2002) spotlight
focused on the continually growing achievement gap between minority and low
income students when compared to their White, Asian and more affluent
counterparts within these school contexts. One of the many ways these gaps are
measured is through the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP),
5
which often serves as a national report card as it is considered to be the only
representative, periodic assessment of what the nation’s students know in various
content areas (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/). NAEP’s responsibilities
include developing the framework and assessment guidelines that act as the
scaffolding for the national assessments, with the organization being overseen by the
US Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.
According to the 2000 NAEP, the nation’s 8
th
grade students from low
socioeconomic status (SES) scored an average of about 30 points lower than peers of
higher SES in Mathematics.
(http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/summaries2003/US_statesum.qxd.pdf).
Socioeconomic status (SES) is an indicator of one’s education, income, occupation,
or a culmination of the three variables. The organization known as The Education
Trust (Edtrust) whose mission is to promote high academic achievement for students
of all ethnicities and abilities by raising an awareness of national and state policy
debates, has documented that 10 points on the NAEP indicates a year’s worth of
learning. This can be interpreted to reveal that the mathematical achievement of low
SES 8
th
graders in the nation trails higher SES students’ by about three years. Edtrust
also provides data regarding African-American eighth graders scoring 40 points
lower than Caucasian students on the 2000 NAEP Mathematics test, thus indicating a
four year achievement gap.
Prior to the inception of NCLB (2002) the variance in literacy scores was
similarly as disturbing. According to the NAEP for Language Arts in 1998, the low
6
income – high income achievement gap for fourth graders was roughly 35 points,
which translates to a three and a half year gap. Additionally, the African-American –
Caucasian achievement gap on the 1998 Language Arts NAEP was estimated to be
about 30 points; again indicating a three year achievement gap in the area of literacy.
The data pertaining to California’s student achievement is consistent with the
performance of students nationwide. In 2003, the California Standards Tests (CSTs)
were written and implemented with the explicit purpose of assessing only California
content standards. The results are reported through five performance levels:
advanced, proficient, basic, below basic and far below basic. The state’s goal is to
have all students acquire knowledge at the proficient or advanced level
(http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/documents/yr06rel89summ.pdf) by the 2013-2014
academic year.
CST data for Language Arts reveal a large discrepancy in the scores between
African-American students and White and Asian students. In 2004, the percentage of
students scoring at the proficient or advanced level was 23%, 54% and 55%,
respectively. In 2005, the respective scores were 27%, 58% and 62%, and 2006 CST
data revealed proficient or advanced Language Arts scores at 29%, 60%, and 64%
respective to African-American, White and Asian ethnic groups. On a positive note,
all demographic groups show gains in their Language Arts CST scores each year.
Conversely, White and Asian students are not only significantly outperforming
African-American students in Language Arts, but the achievement gap is growing
7
every year. Figure 1 provides a visual representation of the data, depicting the
growing achievement gaps between various ethnicities and socioeconomic statuses.
Figure 1. Percentage of Students Scoring Proficient or Advanced on Language Arts
CST
Economically disadvantaged students also underperformed on the CST for
Language Arts when compared to students who were not disadvantaged
economically. The respective scores for students scoring at the proficient or
advanced level on the 2004 CST were 20% compared to 49%, 21% and 50% in
2005, and in 2006 the percentage of economically disadvantaged students scoring
proficient or advanced was 27%, in contrast to 58% of non-economically
disadvantaged students.
8
Figure 2 provides a breakdown of the percentage of California students
scoring proficient or advanced in the area of Math based on ethnicity and economic
status from 2004 through 2006.
Figure 2. Percentage of Students Scoring Proficient or Advanced on Math CST
It can be noted that in California, students of poverty and African-Americans
are underperforming in math when compared to their more affluent, White and Asian
peers. Similar to the results of the Language Arts CSTs – the gap in the levels of
Mathematics achievement across different ethnic groups and income levels is
growing each year, a trend that was first documented by the 2001 CST data
(www.cde.ca.gov).
9
The reality of these statistics is further examined in relation to the residential
locale of these underperforming minority groups and impoverished children.
Research indicates that 52.4% of the poor in metropolitan areas reside in the
principal cities (DeNaves – Walt, et. al., 2007). Many of the nation’s
underperforming populations are being educated in urban school systems.
Thirunarayanan’s (2004) fieldwork in this area indicates that children in urban
schools do not achieve to the same levels achieved by students educated in suburban
schools.
The literature reviewed in chapter identifies that in urban educational
settings, there are a multitude of contextual factors that create unique challenges
specific to inner-city schools (Deal & Peterson, 1990, 1999; Hallinger and
Leithwood, 1998; Howey, 1999). Some of these characteristics include the
prevalence of violence and gangs (Howey, 1999) a culture of educators who do not
feel that their students are capable of learning (Howey, 1999; Montero-Sieberth,
1989), limited access to high quality resources, inadequate funding (Scheuler, 1965)
and inadequately prepared teachers and principals. Davis, Darling-Hammond,
Lapointe, and Meyerson (2005) have argued the necessity to build a principal’s
capacity to address these factors though the provision of leadership programs with
support structures. Absent from their research is the implementation of a coaching
model. It has been documented that coaching has successfully assisted new
principals in overcoming challenges specific to their school context and encouraging
them to be reflective in their practice (Strong, Barrett and Bloom, n.d., p. 37). There
10
is little empirical data to support the effects coaching has in the changing the
principal’s leadership practices and behaviors that affect teacher practice.
Statement of the Problem
There are growing disparities in achievement across ethnic groups and
between impoverished and non-economically disadvantaged students in the areas of
Language Arts and Math. Many of these students are being educated in urban areas
with unique challenges intrinsic to the metropolitan locale that influence social
culture of the educational setting. Many of the urban educational leaders have not
been properly equipped to tackle these challenges. Consequently, if they have
received adequate training on how to combat issues of social culture in urban
institutions, there have been few structures implemented that serve to support the
leader in his or her quest to reshape urban culture into one that fosters a belief that all
students can learn at high levels, regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic
background (Montero-Sieberth, 1989; Howey, 1999).
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to examine how a coaching program, Coaching
Leaders to Attain Student Success (CLASS), supports a principal’s demonstration of
leadership behaviors to influence teacher practice and enable a shift in the beliefs and
norms of the urban school, by which a more positive school culture is created that
fosters higher levels of student achievement.
11
Research Questions
Overarching Question - How does participation in a principal leadership
support structure influence the practices of urban administrators?
The following questions will additionally be examined under the umbrella of
the overarching questions stated above:
1. How does working with a CLASS leadership coach influence the
leadership practices of urban school principals?
2. In what ways does the leader’s practice influence the professional
practice of teachers?
3. In what ways does leadership practice influence and incorporate the
values and beliefs of faculty and the community?
Significance of the Study
As a result of this study, principals, superintendents, policy-makers, creators
of leadership development programs and researchers will gain insight into the
specific structures needed to support educational leaders so that they may positively
influence the social culture of an educational institutional and improve student
learning outcomes. There is significant value to the principal involved in the study
and the faculty and students he or she interacts with through the availability of data
used to gauge leadership practices and the school’s social culture.
Limitations
There is a limitation inherent to the nature of CLASS training relating to the
knowledge and skills of the CLASS coach. Each coach receives the same training
12
and is offered a network of other coaches to interact with and gain support from, in
addition to continued professional development to hone their coaching skills.
However, there is the possibility that the principal in the study may not have a strong
coach, thus negatively affecting the internal validity of the CLASS program.
There are additional confounding variables that occur throughout the course
of research that cannot be controlled. Some examples include severe emotional
trauma or hardship, additional professional development, and movement of staff. The
presence of any confounding variables at any point in the study may skew the
affects, either positively or negatively, that the CLASS coaching has on affecting the
leader’s behavior, school culture and student achievement. When a participant is
already highly regarded by the faculty and community, there is the possibility that an
evaluation of their performance can be affected; being based upon their popularity
rather than their ability (Webb & Norton, 2009). This subjective view is known as
the halo effect. The VAL-Ed attempts to eliminate this bias by having the rater
provide a brief description of evidence for the behavioral rating to justify their
response. The VAL-Ed is a 360-degree tool that necessitates input from the leader
and the principal’s staff members in order to evaluate changes in a leader’s practice.
An additional limitation to this study was the lack of motivation to willingly
participate in this study.
Definition of Terms
Achievement Gap: The discrepancy in student academic performance as
compared by subgroup outcomes.
13
Blended-Coaching: The model utilized in CLASS coaching. It incorporates
both a facilitative and instructional approach to coaching. The goal is to become
transformational, whereby the coach and coachee work back and forth between the
two types of approaches.
CLASS: Coaching Leaders to Achieve Student Success is the program
developed by the New Teacher Center (NTC) at the University of Santa Cruz. It is
the training that all coaches must attend and be certified in prior to becoming a
CLASS coach.
Coachee: The principal who is receives a CLASS coach
CPSELs: California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders are
California’s standards for principal and leadership behaviors.
ESEA: Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
EL: English Learners are students whose primary language is not English,
which is reported by their parents when they are enrolled, and the scores on the
California English Language Development Test (CELDT) suggest they do not have
the necessary skills to be successful in an English Only classroom.
ISLLC: Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium are the national
standards of principal and leadership behavior.
NCLB: No Child Left Behind Act (2002) is the reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It is a federal bill that provides money to
schools who receive Title I funds.
14
Val-Ed: The data collection instrument that will be used to quantify
leadership practice, which is based on the ISLLC standards and developed by Joseph
Murphy at Vanderbilt University. It is a 360º.
360º Assessment: An evaluation tool that provides a comprehensive view of
the school leader by assessing various stakeholders’ (i.e., teachers, supervisors,
parents, students, other colleagues, and classified staff members) perspectives on
principal performance.
Organization of the Study
The proceeding chapter of this study will provide a review of the extant
literature on the impact of social culture on leadership, the prevailing values of urban
schools surround student achievement and the leadership styles that are effective at
re-shaping school culture. Chapter Two will additionally address leadership support
structures needed to support and maintain the enactment of strong school leadership
in urban schools.
Chapter Three will provide a detailed description of the methods used to
conduct this survey including the reasoning for the selected sample and the tools that
will be implemented to collect the data. Chapter 4 will cover the analysis of the data
that was recorded and Chapter 5 will discuss the finding and implications of the data
with identification of next steps needed in this area of study.
15
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
The alarming statistics presented in Chapter 1 were not overlooked by policy-
makers, who deemed it essential for urban schools to restructure, reorganize and
begin the journey to close the significant learning gaps between students of color and
low income, in relation to their more affluent, Caucasian and Asian peers. Many
questions surfaced regarding the kind of leadership that was needed to close these
documented gaps. The purpose of this literature review is to provide a foundation of
information needed to further understanding of the role of urban school educational
leaders in closing the achievement gap. The topics covered will include:
1. The impact of social culture on leadership
2. The prevailing values, beliefs and culture surrounding student
achievement in urban schools
3. Leadership needed to build the capacity to effectively re-shape the
prevailing urban culture:
a. Transformational leadership
b. Learning Centered leadership
c. Instructional leadership
4. Leadership support structures needed to support and maintain the
enactment of strong school leadership in urban schools:
a. Mentoring
b. Coaching
16
The social culture of an organization will determine the way a leader
approaches specific tasks, the way in which he or she will behave to elicit team
building, collaboration, and goal setting. The following section will examine the
prevailing literature on the influence culture has on shaping an institution.
The School Context of the Educational Leader
One of the variables influencing leader effectiveness that has appeared
prominent in the literature relates to the context in which the leadership is
implemented. Each educational institution has a large degree of variability among its
staff and students, their view’s of education, work ethic and ability. There is
additionally a great degree of diversity among the surrounding communities of
different institutions with regard to local businesses, neighborhood safety, diverse
ethnic populations, affordable housing, quality of home life and the community’s
socioeconomic status, all which play a pivotal role in shaping a school’s values.
These values and differential beliefs will both shape the school’s social culture as the
students are products of the environment in which they live. External variables are
inevitably brought into the institution and thus become part of the culture of the
school (Deal & Peterson, 1990, 1999; Hallinger and Leithwood, 1998). Deal &
Peterson (1990, 1999) define the concept of social culture as encompassing a large
variety of goals, intentions, purposes, beliefs, knowledge and expectations. More
simply put, culture is often described as “the way we do things around here”
(Hallinger & Leithwood, 1998, p. 129). An additional definition posited by
Kluckhorn and Kroeberg (1952) refers to culture as behavioral patterns which
17
become shared within a group or community over time, and are then communicated
with new group members so that they may be provided with a guide of what is
considered to be acceptable norms and behavior (as cited by Hallinger and
Leithwood, 1998).
There is a gap in the literature addressing the role that organizational culture
plays in shaping leadership practice (Hallinger, Bickman and Davis, 1996; Schein,
1996). Additional studies are needed to gain an understanding within the research
community of the factors that cause an organization to create a prevailing culture,
and the institutionalized systems that dictate the operations, incentives and controls
that are found embedded within the organization (Schein, 1996). The goals of each
institution and the way that the leader exhibits influence will vary and rely heavily
upon the leaders’ ability to adapt their skills to the needs of the educational
institution. This concept is as simple as one expecting a teacher to meet the diverse
needs of each one of his or her students. Therefore, it can be concluded that not only
does leadership fall along a broad spectrum of processes and behaviors, but
leadership is contextual as well. The process of leadership is contingent upon the
leader’s adaptation to the environment (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson and Wahlstrom,
2004). It is a cultural phenomenon in its own right and is linked to the customs and
values of the organization being influenced. Hence, leadership should be aligned to
the dimensions of the group’s culture (Gerstner and O’Day, 1994). Leadership
practices and behaviors from an effective school cannot be expected to directly
transfer and be successfully implemented within another institution without an
18
analysis of the culture of the organization to determine what made the innovation
successful in the original context. The next section will explore the norms, values
and beliefs specific to urban schools and the role they play in affecting student
achievement.
The Unique Culture of Urban School Settings
Urban schools display characteristics, values and processes unique to their
own community setting. These are a function of the economic, demographic and
social shifts experienced within the urban communities themselves. However, these
schools do not always represent the surrounding population, as desegregation plans
and bussing that began in the 1970’s and 1980’s brought in students from other areas
(Montero-Sieberth, 1989). This diversity can result in the clashing of core values,
beliefs and ultimately lead to conflict among varying ethnicities. Violence and gangs
are prevalent among inner-city schools and is associated with academic failure of
students who should not necessarily be failing, nor are they innately inferior to their
counterparts in suburban school (Villegas, 1988, as cited by Howey, 1999).
Teachers have become increasingly alienated from the communities in which
they serve. Decreasing numbers of urban educators actually reside in the surrounding
community, making their demonstration of values limited to the school day and
making it difficult for students to identify with their teachers (Montero-Sieberth,
1989; Scheuler, 1965). Being regarded as an outsider can greatly affect teacher
expectation for student outcomes. Urban schools are typically characterized by a
culture of educators who often do not feel that their students are capable of learning
19
(Montero-Sieberth, 1989; Howey, 1999). Contrary to this belief and the evidence
that a disproportionate percent of minority and low income students are currently
underperforming, research supports the notion that “given high-quality learning
opportunities, poor and minority students can succeed academically” (Resnick and
Glennan, 2002) and be on par with their Asian and White student counterparts. The
emphasis needs to be shifted from whether it is possible for these students to learn,
and reallocated toward improving instructional practice and challenging teacher
assumptions about student ability, cultivating skills and abilities within educators to
increase learning among students in inner-city schools.
A prevalent characteristic of urban schools relates to their having limited
access to high quality resources and inadequate funding needed to meet the
educational needs of students in inner city schools. The metropolitan facilities are
often antiquated, run-down and in dire need of repair. The schools are impoverished
of essential educational resources such as textbooks, curriculum materials, computers
and highly qualified teachers. Curriculum materials used to teach the subject matter
are often out dated, not aligned to content standards and are not culturally relevant to
students. Often a student will see few contextual relationships or material
connections between his life, home and values and those depicted in the novels and
curricular texts used for instruction (Scheuler, 1965).
Students in schools with the highest minority enrollments have less than a
50% chance of getting a licensed math or science teacher to instruct in those areas
(The National Commission, 1996). Additionally, it was reported by the Research
20
About Teacher Education Studies (RATE) (1994) that not only do the vast majority
of graduating educators feel inadequately trained to effectively instruct in an inner-
city school, but they lack any desire to do so. It was projected by the United States
Government Accounting Office (GAO) that among schools classified as high
poverty, 18% of elementary, 35% of middle and 46% at the high school level will
face great adversity in complying with the provision of “highly qualified teachers”
designated by NCLB (2003). Twenty percent of teachers working in low income
schools in the United States have three or fewer years of teaching experience as
compared to 11% of teachers serving low poverty schools. Retention of these
teachers presents an area of concern as well. The annual turnover rate of credentialed
teachers in high-poverty urban institutions is at 22%. Rates for high poverty rural
schools and low poverty schools are significantly lower, at 16.4% and 12.8%
respectively (Ingersoll, 2004).
The culture of a school includes the surrounding community, which can be
demonstrated in the home lives of the students in the area. Though there are inner-
city students that have happy, healthy home lives that support education, there are
plenty of others who are not afforded such an existence. Howey (1999) documented
in a project titled the Urban Network to Improve Teacher Education (UNITE), that
many youngsters living in urban areas have or live with low or distorted expectations
for academic success, minimal adult supervision, the absence of positive, high-
quality relationships with adults, early exposure to drugs and violence, and negative
peer association from a youngster’s earliest interactions with others. Indicative of
21
these environmental characteristics are the findings that these students are less likely
to feel safe in school, watch more hours of television nightly and devote less hours
nightly to homework (The Center for Technology in Education, Year Unknown).
Though the aforementioned traits of home environment are not exclusive to urban
settings and can be found throughout the population, these characteristics of home
and community are overrepresented among those living in poverty. High
concentrations of poverty have been linked to urban centers (Howey, 1999).
The turbulent life that many students in urban locales are subjected to plays a
role in how these students behave. Behavior problems in urban school settings will
often include high rates of absenteeism and possession of dangerous or illegal
weapons. Also associated with urban schools are increased levels of teenage
pregnancy and possession and/or use of illegal narcotics. Despite the previously
stated statistics, the use of alcohol by inner-city students is not as problematic as in
its rural and suburban counterparts (The Center of Technology in Education, N.D.).
The following section will focus on what is known about how educational
administrators affect student achievement.
Leadership Defined
Leadership, like so many intangible and abstract qualities, has no single or
concrete quality that defines. Rather, there are a multitude of definitional approaches
to leadership and various theories to support those approaches. According to
Northouse (2007), attempting to define leadership is as varied as definitions of love,
peace or democracy. Such a concept of varying and abstract qualifications makes for
22
many different conceptualizations of what leadership may actually be. Research
suggests that leadership may in fact, be hindered by attempts to define it discretely
and should rather be inclusive of various behaviors that can be used to create a frame
of reference for leadership instead. At the core of what leadership might be, two
main functions have been noted: exercising influence and providing direction
(Leithwood and Riehl, 2003, p. 2). When applying this to an educational setting, the
leader (who can be either formal or informal, depending upon their position of
authority) can be expected to “provide direction and exert influence in order to
achieve the school’s goals (Leithwood and Riehl, 2003, p. 2)
Though it has been demonstrated that leadership can be restrictive when
defined, Northouse (2007) blends varying conceptualizations of leadership into a
definition, stating that “leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a
group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (p.3). He adds that the process of
events must occur between the leader and his or her followers, and outlines criteria
that the leader must effectively utilize during his or her influence and focus on the
attainment of goals, all the while involving groups of key players in the decision-
making process.
The extant literature suggests that the heart of leadership is found when
focusing on group processes (Bass, 1990). This theory places the leader at the
epicenter of the group, personifying the will and intentions of its members, in
addition to being responsible for actions and alterations made to the characteristics of
the group.
23
An alternate way of conceptualizing leadership analyzes the characteristics
possessed by various leaders and how these are used to influence others to
accomplish tasks or take action. This conceptualization may include influence
processes that affect the “determination of the group’s or organization’s objectives,
motivating task behavior in pursuit of these objectives and influencing group
maintenance and culture” (Yukl, 1989, p. 5).
Still, other approaches provide insight for the notion that leadership is more
of a behavior exhibited by individuals that fosters change in surrounding members
(Northouse, 2007). Murphy, Elliot, Goldring, & Porter (2006) apply this idea of
behavioral leadership to education, describing the actions of leaders found within
educational institutions as entailing eight major dimensions, each of which comprises
four specific behaviors necessary to facilitate success in each dimension of the
educational institution. The four behaviors include 1) previous experiences of a
leader; 2) the knowledge base the leader amasses over time; 3) the types of personal
characteristics a leader brings to the job; and 4) the set of values and beliefs that
help define a leader. The eight dimensions of effective leadership practice found in
learning centered leadership are: 1) vision for learning, 2) instructional program, 3)
curricular program, 4) assessment program, 5) communities of learning, 6)
resources acquisition and use, 7) organizational culture, and 8) advocacy. Each of
the eight dimensions and the four prevailing conditions will be discussed in depth in
the section titled “Learning Centered Leadership”. This paradigm of learning
centered leadership was created by Murphy, Elliot, Goldring & Porter (2006) and is
24
the core foundation of the quantitative data analysis tool known as the VAL-Ed
survey. The VAL-Ed survey will be discussed in greater depth in chapter three, as it
will be used as a tool for data collection in this study.
The Impact of Leadership on Educational Institutions
Much of the research available on the impact of leadership on educational
institutions is contradictory when the scholarship specifically addresses the ways in
which a leader may impact student achievement. However, there is one consistent
view that prevails among several prominent studies; this being that principal
leadership does not directly affect student learning (Hallinger, Bickman, Davis,
1996; Leithwood, Louis, Anderson and Wahlstrom, 2004; Barnett & McCormick,
2004). Surprising as this contention may be to some, when the relationship between
strong institutional administration and student learning is analyzed, one discovers the
affect of one on the other is actually indirect.
However, advocates for school leadership argue that leadership is second
only to teaching as the school-related factor most likely to influence student learning
(The Wallace Foundation, 2004). Though often viewed as underestimated in its role
in improving student learning, the total effects of school leadership, both direct and
indirect, have been attributed to roughly 25% of total effects on schools (Leithwood,
Louis, Anderson and Wahlstrom, 2003). Several prominent and well-known
researchers have documented evidence to support leadership as being the keystone to
success of a school and district, in relation to increased student achievement
25
(Leithwood, Louis, Anderson and Wahlstrom, 2003; Marzano, Waters, & McNulty,
2005; Murphy & Hallinger, 1988).
Some researchers are doubtful of the effectiveness of school leadership being
implemented as a tool to foster institutional change, thus bringing about increased
student achievement. As mentioned earlier in this chapter, the relationship between
student learning and leadership can often be confounded by many variables
(Hallinger & Heck, 1998), school culture playing a prominent role among them.
Strong leadership affects teacher practice, which in turn affects student learning.
Evidence indicates that at the classroom level, student learning will be impacted by
the instructional practices of teachers. Correspondingly, successful leaders can
influence teacher instruction through their impact upon others’ actions or the
alterations made to the features of their organization. The leader must take on the
responsibility of identifying any conditions that may interfere with their leadership
and mediate the variables to remedy the situation (Leithwood & Jantzi, 2000). A
primary focus of the urban school leader is to change the current culture of low
performance prevalent in urban schools, and foster a belief that all students can learn
at high levels, regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic status. The following section
will examine the facets of a specific style of leadership known as instructional
leadership, and discuss the relevance of instructional leadership in educational
settings.
26
Instructional Leadership Theory
Given the complex nature of the contextual settings for an educational
institution and their impact on leadership, educators must focus attention on the kind
of leadership needed to influence and re-shape the culture of urban institutions so
that they may foster a belief within staff, students and the surrounding community
that all students can learn and achieve at high levels.
Many definitions of leadership have evolved into varying leadership theories,
each one emphasizing different aspects of a leader’s behavior, the relationship
between leaders and followers, the traits of the individual leader or the situational
context of the leadership in which the influence of the leader is exhibited (Hallinger,
2003; Leithwood, K. A. & Riehl, C., 2003; Marzano, Waters and McNulty, 2007;
Northouse, 2007). Complementary to this notion, Murphy, Elliot, Goldring and
Porter (2006) propose that not all leadership is created equal, and that within high
performing schools and districts, one form of leadership is most apparent. This
frequently documented form of leadership has many titles though it is most widely
recognized as instructional leadership.
Early research on effective schools identified the need for a principal in poor
urban communities to deliver strong, directive leadership focused on curriculum and
instruction in order to improve student achievement (Leithwood & Montgomery,
1982). Hallinger (2003) also identified the necessity for an instructional leader to
lead from a combination of expertise and charisma, focus goals on improvements in
27
student outcomes, and cultivate a culture that is conducive to high standards and
expectations for both staff and students.
The tenets of instructional leadership require that leaders possess the ability
to consistently focus on essential elements of curriculum, teaching, learning and
assessing. In addition, they must manage the school’s administration, organization
and finances to support teaching and improved student achievement (Murphy, Elliot,
Goldring and Porter, 2006).
One highly accepted framework of instructional leadership proposes three
dimensions of the construct, including defining the school’s mission, managing the
instructional program, and promoting a positive school-learning climate (Hallinger,
2000). Hallinger goes on to further extend each of these dimensions into sub-
categories that encompass processes of the instructional leader (2000).
According to this model, defining the school’s mission is comprised of the
leader working cooperatively with staff to create measurable goals that emphasize
student achievement. Under this construct it is also the responsibility of the leader to
ensure that the goals are not only clearly communicated and supported by staff but
also by the surrounding community.
Managing the instructional program is further delineated into three realms,
consisting of supervising and evaluating instruction, coordinating the curriculum,
and monitoring student progress. Hallinger and Murphy (1985) documented that this
aspect is considered a key leadership responsibility necessary to improve student
achievement and the development of a school’s academic rigor.
28
The last facet of this model, promoting a positive school-learning climate,
extends greater breadth than the preceding two dimensions, as it is comprised of five
functions. These include 1) maintaining high visibility, 2) providing incentives for
teachers, 3) providing incentives for students, 4) protecting instructional time, and 5)
promoting professional development. It is imperative that promoting a positive
school-learning climate is used to create a culture that supports teaching and
learning, and align the school’s mission, standards and goals with the school’s
climate.
It is essential to recall that the effectiveness of instructional leadership will
vary depending upon the context in which it is implemented. It is dually noted that
leadership content knowledge plays a pivotal role in the effectiveness of instructional
leadership. This is an attribute often overlooked when considering instructional
leadership and an area garnering the need for further investigation (Stein & Nelson,
2003).
Shulman (1986) posited that educators require a unique type of content
knowledge known as pedagogical content knowledge. Under this construct it is not
simply enough for a teacher to know about a subject. Rather, the teacher must garner
knowledge not only of the content but also how to teach it to children in terms that
are understandable to them and anticipate where their misconceptions might lie.
This concept of pedagogical content knowledge can be applied to leadership.
Just as a teacher’s pedagogical content knowledge may consist of knowledge in areas
such as algebra, ancient history and reading comprehension, the content knowledge
29
of the modern leader should be a reflection of what his teachers know as well. One
cannot expect to be an instructional leader without the core knowledge essential to
the teaching of academic curricula. In addition, a leader must not only possess the
skills to lead, but build the capacity within others to become leaders as well. In
summary, the leader must have an extremely wide knowledge base of not only all
curriculum areas and how to teach them, but must be able to effectively lead and
build the capacity for further leadership at their institution.
Learning Centered Leadership Theory
It has been noted in the extant literature that a strong measure of principal
success is correlated to the levels at which students succeed. (Leithwood, et al, 2004;
Marzano, Waters & McNulty, 2005; Murphy & Hallinger, 1988, as cited in Murphy,
Elliott, Goldring, and Poter, 2006). Learning-centered leadership is a multifaceted
approach that suggests a leaders’ behaviors are formed by four prevailing conditions:
1) previous experiences of a leader; 2) the knowledge base the leader amasses over
time; 3) the types of personal characteristics a leader brings to the job; and 4) the
set of values and beliefs that help define a leader (Murphy, et al., 2006). Knapp,
Copland, Plecki, and Portin (2006) call this a “theory of action” (p. 16), which
influences the ways leaders learn about their practice as they make associations.
Every leader comes equipped with a set of personal schemas, prior foundational
familiarity tied to specific settings, and values that influence their leadership
capacity.
30
According to Murphy, et.al, (2006), the leaders’ prior experiences, in
combination with a variety of school related factors, such as student demographics,
location, and faculty experience, can have profound affects on the behaviors a
principal chooses to elicit. The learner-centered leadership framework identifies
eight fundamental components of effective leadership practice: 1) vision for
learning, 2) instructional program, 3) curricular program, 4) assessment program,
5) communities of learning, 6) resources acquisition and use, 7) organizational
culture, and 8) advocacy. A vision for learning includes establishing a school-wide
belief of high student achievement and setting goals on how to achieve those
objectives. The instructional program consists of staff members having strong
content knowledge in their field and the pedagogical expertise to be able to deliver
the information to the students. The curricular program encompasses a rigorous
curriculum that maintains high expectations for student learning across the subject
areas. An assessment program includes a way to evaluate, measure, and continually
monitor students’ academic performance in the core curricular program. A
Community of learning fosters a school culture whose foundation is built around
providing opportunities for people within the organization to grow as professionals
through professional development and activities that support acquisition of new
information. Resources acquisition and use entails obtaining the most effective
materials to support teachers’ instruction and improve student outcomes. The
organizational culture refers to the structures in place that cultivate ongoing
reflection, support, open communication, and establishing an environment that is
31
safe and conducive to learning. Finally, advocacy pertains to the understanding the
importance diversity, outside social and political factors, and personal biases can
play in the success of student achievement (Murphy, et al., 2006). The following
leadership paradigm, transformational leadership, will be discussed in detail and will
address additional aspects of successful leadership that are not emphasized in
instructional and learning centered leadership.
The Transformational Leader
Building the capacity of urban school leaders to reshape the urban school
culture into one that fosters increased student learning mandates significant change at
the heart of the institution. Strong leadership must focus on employing strategies that
challenge the existing instructional practices, processes, and attitudes embedded
within the culture of the urban school context. Transformational leadership has been
documented as a means to foster progress in school restructuring and has been shown
to enhance educator commitment to the process of institution-wide alterations
(Leithwood, 1992; Leithwood & Jantzi, 1990; Sergiovanni, 1990). The recent
popularity toward this form of leadership is due partly in fact to its emphasis on
charismatic and affective elements of leadership (Northouse, 2007). Research also
suggests that the growing demand for transformational leaders is related to the
intrinsic motivation they are able to cultivate among others and their emphasis on the
development of individuals (Bass and Riggio, 2006).
The evolution of transformational leadership began with its inception in the
1970s and 1980s. Bass’s (1985) landmark study identified nine behaviors as being
32
essential to the transformational leader. He further conceptualized the behaviors of
the transformational leader to state that they support superior results from
individuals. Combined with the efforts of Avolio (1994), Bass introduced the “Four
I’s” into his framework: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual
stimulation and individualized consideration. The notion of idealized influence
depicts that the transformational leaders behave in such a way that they are the ideal
role model for their followers. Inspirational motivation deems it necessary for the
leader to arouse motivation and enthusiasm in followers through the cultivation of
inspiration. Intellectual stimulation requires that leaders stimulate efforts on the part
of followers to be innovative and think “outside the box”. Finally, individualized
consideration necessitates that the leader take into account the unique needs of each
follower and mentor them individually.
Bass’s 1994 model was successfully adapted to the field of education by
Leithwood, et. al. (2000) and a new construct for transformational leadership arose
that included seven components. These include individualized support, shared goals,
vision, intellectual stimulation, culture building, rewards, high expectations, and
modeling. The following diagram (see Figure 3) depicts how leadership is created
and shared in the educational setting (Hallinger, 2003).
33
Figure 3. Leadership Creation
The model demonstrates that the foundation of transformational leadership is
grounded in understanding staff members’ individualized needs. Once that has been
established, the leader can help to foster a vision and shared goals that will shape the
culture and foster intellectual stimulation among the followers. Finally, high
expectations will be modeled and set, resulting in rewards that continue the cycle of
motivation. This model of transformational leadership contrasts considerably with
that of instructional leadership. This is a “bottom-up approach” which begins with
the members of the organization, as opposed to the “top-down approach” of
instructional leadership where many of the directives are mandated by the leader.
This allows for the input of all members of an organization, incorporating their
values and beliefs into the creation of goals. It helps to facilitate buy-in and cohesion
among staff members while emphasizing their value and importance to the
functioning of the institution.
Individualized Support
Vision
Shared Goals
Culture Building
Intellectual Stimulation
Modeling
High Expectations
Rewards
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Northouse (2007) synthesizes the literature on transformational leadership,
providing the rationale that it is “a process that changes and transforms people. It is
concerned with emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals and includes
assessing followers’ motives, satisfying their needs, and treating them as full human
beings”(p.175). A successful transformational leader has the ability to create a
personal bond with others. This connection raises the level of motivation and
morality in both the leader and followers and assists both parties in reaching their
fullest potential. It is leadership based on social interaction with the intent of
promoting the cause that is most beneficial for the collective good. These leaders
may often have to put their own needs second in an effort to protect the interests of
others.
Under the paradigm of transformational leadership, the leader increases staff
motivation and self-efficacy through a variety of behaviors that include identifying
individuals’ specific values and beliefs and linking them to the goals and values of
the organization to create a mission that reflects these shared norms. Given the
information known about the current culture of the urban school and its surrounding
community, urban school leadership must perform these tasks as they reshape the
culture into one that fosters higher student achievement.
Once a leader has established him or herself as a member of an institution,
the need to facilitate change becomes a prevailing goal. The leader will be faced with
inundating challenges along the way, which will necessitate support in
accomplishing goals that the staff has identified. Instructional and transformational
35
leadership are, at times, incongruous and guidance is needed to assist the leader in
determining how to strike a balance between the incorporation of both styles into
their everyday practice, in addition to determining which situations may necessitate a
gravitation toward one style more than the other.
Once the capacity within a leader has been built so that he or she possesses
the qualities of an instructional, learning centered and transformational leader,
support structures such as coaching, mentoring and peer collaboration are essential
features needed to help maintain the skills that the leader has acquired and promote
greater growth in their successful application of these skills to the educational
setting. A leader who displays all three leadership styles will be able to move
fluently between the styles and at times blend the styles together when a situation
calls for elements of varying styles.
Support Structures
There is a history of the “sink-or-swim” mindset towards new principals
entering the field (The Wallace Foundation, 2007). This is demonstrated by the
absence of mentoring, coaching, networking and feedback made available to new
and continuing administrators. The common notion is that the leader was put into the
role because he or she already possessed the capabilities necessary to succeed and no
further support is needed. “The harsh truth is that the new school leader faces a
dizzying array of tasks associated with managing a highly complex organization:
from budgeting and busing to discipline, personnel and union matters and public
relations” (The Wallace Foundation, 2007; p. 6). The literature is rich with
36
references to a severe shortage of principals and the difficulties associated with
retention of the ones that are hired (Institute for Educational Leadership, 2000;
Prince, 2002). A multitude of reasons exist for these dilemmas including
instructional and managerial issues, job related stress, superfluous time requirements
and time constraints, noncompetitive compensation, and feelings of inadequacy in
the principal’s ability to satisfy the demands of parents and the community
(Educational Research Service, 1998). Adams (1999) concludes that lack of support
is another contributing factor turning away prospective leaders from entering the
role. The pervasive lack of leadership support structures is an indicator of attrition.
These studies provide the basis for the argument that there is an obligation for
support structures to maintain the leadership that has been cultivated. The following
section will address the components of mentoring programs and the ways in which
mentoring can support a leader in their practice.
Mentoring
Varying forms of mentoring programs for principals began to surface in the
United States and internationally in the 1980s. Currently, approximately half of the
states have adopted requirements that new principals participate in a mentoring
program (The Wallace Foundation, 2007) to support leaders in the future and
academic This is an indication that educational leaders have recognized the value of
ongoing training and support of new principals. They are willing to invest the time
and resources necessary to assist principals in their quest to meet the high standards
of achievement necessary for student success.
37
Protégés, mentors and districts can all benefit from an effective mentoring
program. Protégés are given opportunities to engage in professional dialogue with an
expert to gain valuable insight in handling situations. Additionally, a mentoring
program offers support and guidance during a new leader’s initiation, promotes
networking, and can increase the leader’s self-confidence so that they may take the
risks often necessary for goal achievement (Georgia Department of Technical and
Adult Education www.coe.uga.edu/chds/mentoring/benefits.htm). Mentors are able
to provide new principals with the instrumental advice needed to combat day-to-day
conflicts that arise in urban schools such as violence, absenteeism, and lack of
support from the surrounding community. Mentors help to foster the self-confidence
required to be a strong instructional leader, advancing toward improved teacher
practice and the ultimate goal of increased student achievement.
Not all mentoring programs are created equal and though there is evidence to
support the existence of mentoring programs, there is little research to support their
effectiveness or which elements contribute to a highly effective program (Strong,
Barrett, & Bloom, 2007). Mentoring needs to move beyond a mere “buddy system”
of pairing two administrators together and move in the direction of creating
relationships that facilitate both mentor and protégé to raise the level of excellence in
teaching and increase student achievement. Common shortfalls that can hinder the
benefits of mentoring include having ambiguous or unclear goals, a lack or absence
of training for mentors, too much emphasis on the managerial aspect of
administration or insufficient focus on the aspects of instructional leadership, and
38
inadequate time allotted for interactions and discussions to transpire between
mentors and protégés (The Wallace Foundation, 2007).
The Wallace Foundation (2007) identified a set of “quality guidelines” for
developing effective mentoring programs/support structures after their study
analyzing mentoring programs in New York and Kentucky. According to these
guidelines, quality principal mentoring programs:
• Develop the knowledge, skills and courage of new principals to enable
them to make teaching and learning the primary focus in their schools
• Provide high-quality training for mentors
• Gather meaningful data to determine whether the mentoring is effective
in developing the behaviors and dispositions desirable in a leader to
change school culture and increase student achievement
• Provide mentoring support for at least one year, preferably two
• Make available enough funding to provide quality training and a
substantial time period of mentoring to fully induct principals into the
profession
A shortfall of the mentoring program is that both the mentor and protégé are
employed within the same organization. The mentor is an experienced in the field of
leadership and may be the supervisor or evaluator of the leader. This hinders the risk-
free environment, open-minded attitude and confidentiality so greatly needed when
guiding a leader to improve their practice. The use of a coach as opposed to a mentor
compensates for these drawbacks as will be discussed in the preceding section.
39
Coaching
The goal of coaching is to assist educators and principals in making informed
decisions regarding instruction and the organization of schools. “The term coaching
includes activities related to developing the organizational capacity of whole
schools” (Neufeld and Roper, 2003; p.4). A change coach is one that addresses
whole-school organizational improvements by developing the skills of not only
teachers, but principals as well. A change coach enables principals to place emphasis
on instruction; successfully allocate resources; analyze data to make informed
decisions and set learning goals; and cultivate leadership among teachers. As
previously discussed, the demand for principals to practice instructional leadership is
always increasing and a change coach is pivotal in providing principals with
knowledge in this areas. The services of a change coach are paramount in 1)
modeling application of leadership skills; 2) demonstrating the process of building
teacher leadership capacity 3) assisting in the arduous task of scheduling and
organizing the principal’s schedule to facilitate classroom observations; 4)observing
critical events and providing feedback, and 5) demonstrating strong instructional
leadership practice (Neufeld and Roper, 2003).
The district plays a crucial role in the successful implementation of a
leadership coaching structure. It must be embedded within the district’s reform
strategy and be incorporated into their professional development plan. To facilitate
the development of a viable coaching program, several steps must be taken: 1) goals
for improvement at the school must be determined; 2) it must be determined what
40
kinds of assistance coaches would offer to achieve the identified goals; and 3) it must
be determined if there are any advantages of utilizing coaching as a support structure
rather than a different form of professional development. It is the responsibility of
the district to shape the coaches’ role and act as a facilitator to align the coach’s
work with the school or district’s instructional improvement goals (Neufeld and
Roper, 2003). This is the key to the work in which the CLASS coaches will be
engaged.
Coaching is a promising strategy that can be implemented at the school level
to assist new urban leaders to 1) meet the instructional goals of their site; 2) gain
knowledge on how to be strong instructional leaders, and 3) to critically analyze the
instructional practices in use. Utilization of leadership coaches allows districts to
provide continual, sustained support in assisting administrators. The idea of
leadership coaching is relatively new and it has not yet been proven to successfully
increase student learning. More research in this area is needed to further garner
support for the effectiveness of coaching and a means to improve instructional
practice and student achievement (Neufeld and Roper, 2003).
The New Teacher Center (NCT) at University of California, Santa Cruz
(UCSC) developed a coaching program in coordination with the Association of
California School Administrators (ACSA). Coaching Leaders to Attain Student
Success (CLASS) was designed with the specific intent of targeting new
administrators and supporting them individually in their endeavors through one-on-
one coaching sessions to reach long and short term goals that have been identified at
41
their school sites. The foundation of the program is linked to the national ISLLC
standards as well as the CPSELs. CLASS program implements a blended coaching
model which combines instructional and facilitative coaching strategies, whereby,
consultative, collaborative, and transformational approaches are utilized (Bloom,
Castagna, Moir, and Warren, 2005). Coaches will directly guide the coachee as
deemed necessary by the situation and goals (instructional and consultative
coaching), and will be collaborative in their problem-solving approach when the
solution can be ascertained through the coach guiding the coachee in the reflective
process. When the situation deems it necessary, the coach may take on a The
ultimate goal of this model is build the internal capability of their coachee (Bloom et
al., 2005) by facilitating a change in leadership behaviors exhibited by the coachee
with the intended outcome of the principal bringing about significant academic
change and improvement.
The preceding conclusion of this chapter will summarize the literature
reviewed, review the framework for which this study is based and offer conclusions
detailing the need for more research in building leadership capacity and the support
structures needed to cultivate and maintain leadership skills once they have been
acquired.
Summary
With the emphasis of NCLB (2002) necessitating the adoption of high stakes
accountability systems throughout the nation, California responded by creating a set
of rigorous academic content standards and implementing assessments to measure
42
student learning of these standards. These standards and assessments highlighted a
lack of student proficiency in Math and Language Arts across California. Local
districts and schools emerged as being held accountable for the improvement of
student learning and achievement; and the principal charged as the leader to facilitate
this change at the school level.
It was indicated through various levels of research that the social culture of
an institution plays a great role in determining the ability to which teachers feel they
can effectively instruct, their belief that all students are capable of learning at high
levels and the faculty’s desire to improve their instructional pedagogies and
strategies. Urban schools have typically been shown to possess a culture that inhibits
student learning through beliefs and value systems embedded within the
organization. As a school leader the principal must evaluate the underlying belief
systems of the school and adapt their leadership style to the needs of the site. When
done effectively the principal is able to reshape the prevailing culture into one more
positive and supportive of student learning and achievement.
Instructional leadership may be implemented to accomplish the goals of
changing prevailing social culture, improving teacher self-efficacy and desire to
improve their craft, and increasing student learning and achievement. An
instructional leader serves as a role model of effective teaching strategies, creating
the overall circumstances by which teachers can improve their instructional program
to enhance student learning (Coldren & Spillane, 2007). The first step in this
endeavor necessitates that the principal establishes a clear vision that is focused on
43
learning and achieving the common goals of the school (Leithwood, et al., 2004;
Murphy, et al., 2006; and Hallinger & Murphy, 1985), the first of six standards for
effective leadership of the ISLLC Standards. The effective leader utilizes student
achievement data, makes connections to observable performance of both the students
and teachers in the classrooms, and creates a vision that fosters a shared sense of
direction and purpose (Hallinger & Murphy, 1985). Effective leaders ensure that
their vision is supported by clear, measurable goals and regularly seek feedback on
goal attainment (Marzano, 2003) and they successfully communicate the vision with
the staff and other stakeholders (Hallinger & Murphy, 1985; Leithwood, et al., 2004;
and Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005). Additionally, instructional leaders create
an organizational culture that promotes teachers’ intellectual growth experts in their
field while simultaneously fosters student achievement. In urban schools, creating
opportunities to recognize students and teachers for their dedication and hard work is
integral to the success of the instructional program (Hallinger & Murphy, 1985).
Another method of ensuring attainment of the goals of the institution is
through the learning centered leadership approach. Learning-centered leadership
builds upon the foundations of an instructional leader in their skills and knowledge
base. The learning centered leader also has an unwavering dedication to a rigorous
instructional program by creating opportunities for teachers improve their practice.
The learning centered leader establishes a school culture that is geared towards a
community where all stakeholders are invested in students’ achievement. While an
instructional leader does demonstrate this skill, the learning-centered leader goes
44
further as a model of this behavior through their actions, often developing leadership
groups to help facilitate the process.
The final type of leadership discussed as predominant in reshaping urban
school culture is that of transformational leadership. The practice of a
transformational leader is enhanced by the instructional foundation set forth by a
principal collectively works with teachers to improve their pedagogy and overall
student learning (Marks & Printy, 2003). In the urban setting, the transformational
leader emphasizes the efforts of those who implement activities that foster a
collaborative culture while simultaneously encouraging and acknowledging teacher
efforts. The transformational ideology of teacher participation in professional
development complements achievement-oriented focus of instructional leadership.
With respect to the nature of an urban educational institution, the transformational
leader must be one who is willing to take risks, knowledgeable of the needs of staff
and willing to ensure the opportunity for professional development and the
collaboration of professional ideas.
Once the leader has determined the culture of the organization and begun to
implement a blend of the three types of leadership theories discussed, the leader will
need support to accomplish identified short and long-term goals to reach the
collaborative shared vision created by the staff. One way to provide such support is
through the implementation of a mentor that has an established relationship with the
leader in addition to a vast array of experience pertaining to combating urban issues
and can offer salient advice to a leader facing challenges. An additional source of
45
support can come in the form of a coach. Unlike a mentor, the coach does not have a
previous relationship with the leader and all advising is completely non-evaluative
and confidential. This facilitates trust and the risk-free environment needed for a
leader to reflect completely and change their practice when deemed necessary by
situations as they arise. The form of CLASS coaching in this study that will be
examined has been created by the NTC at UCSC in coordination with ACSA relies
on blended coaching strategies that offer guidance and the ability for the leader to
evaluate and alter his or her own practice based on predetermined goals set by the
coach and the principal that address school needs.
Figure 4 depicts a visual representation of the framework that will be used to
conduct this study.
46
Figure 4. Framework for Study
47
CHAPTER 3: METHODS
Introduction
This Chapter describes the research design, sample and population,
instrumentation, data collection plan, proposed data analysis, ethical considerations,
and limitations. The purpose of this research study was to determine how a
principal’s participation in a leadership support program affected the leadership
practices of an urban school administrator. Specifically, this study examined the
professional practice of a principal in the urban school context as a result of her
having worked with a Coaching Leaders to Attain Student Success (CLASS) trained
coach. The overarching question that drove this research was: How did participation
in a principal leadership support and development program influence the practices of
urban administrators? There were three questions that this study addressed.
1. How did working with a CLASS leadership coach influence leadership
practices of urban school principals?
2. In what ways did the leadership practice influence the professional
practice of teachers?
3. In what ways did leadership practice influence and incorporate the values
of faculty and the community?
Design
For this study, a mixed methods approach was implemented to analyze
leadership practices and behaviors of a single principal who worked with a CLASS
trained coach. The quantitative portion of this research involved the use of the
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online Vanderbilt Assessment for Leadership in Education survey while the
qualitative portion involved an in-depth case study analysis of the principal’s
practice. This study measured one principal’s practice of effective leadership
behaviors as a result of their having worked with a leadership coach. The coach had
been trained in the blended coaching model designed by the New Teacher Center
(NTC) at the University of California at Santa Cruz’s (UCSC). The purpose for this
mixed methods approach was to strengthen the internal validity of the study and
consistency of the findings by using more than one method (Patton, 2002).
Instrumentation
The quantitative measure of leadership behaviors involved the use of an
online survey, the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED).
The VAL-ED is a measurement tool which assesses the effectiveness of a principal’s
key leadership behaviors that influence teacher practice, organizational processes,
and ultimately, student learning. Additionally, it is a 360˚instrument known as a
“multirater feedback” or “full-circle feedback assessment” (Webb & Norton, 2009,
p. 215), which was administered to the principal and a purposeful sample of teachers
in spring (2009). The VAL-ED provided a comprehensive view of the leader’s
performance on the core components and key processes of leadership practice. The
key processes areas assessed were: 1) planning, 2) implementing, 3) supporting, 4)
advocating, 5) communicating, 6) monitoring. The core components of principal
leadership which influence student achievement are: 1) high standards for student
learning, 2) rigorous curriculum, 3) quality instruction, 4) culture of learning and
49
professional behavior, 5) connections to external communities, and 6) performance
accountability (Porter, et al., 2006).
This tool was administered for baseline data assessment only as an additional
descriptive measure to triangulate with the qualitative data collected following three
months of the coaching intervention with the CLASS coach in the spring (2009). In
particular, administration of the VAL-ED involved the assessment of leader practice
to determine the ways in which the intervention had influenced the leader’s practice.
The initial Val-Ed was administered prior to coaching in October 2008. Teachers and
principal were given a two week window with which to complete the survey. Staff
reported that it took took approximately 45 – 60 minutes to complete. The second
administration of the Val-Ed occurred in January 2009 with the same protocol of
allowing a two week window for staff to complete the survey. Contrary to the first
administration of the Val-Ed, staff members reported the second administration
taking a bit less time to complete: about 30 – 45 minutes.
The qualitative component of this study included an in-depth case study
analysis of the urban elementary principal. The purpose of using qualitative
measures is to capture rich, descriptive information that cannot otherwise be
obtained from a quantitative tool (Patton, 2003). Pre-intervention and post-
intervention interviews were conducted with the principal and a purposeful sample of
teachers who were representative of the faculty population. The pre intervention
interview lasted about 30 minutes. Though both interview protocols used open-ended
50
questions to extract information, the post intervention interview was more detailed in
nature and required and interview session that lasted 60 minutes (see appendix).
Intervention
The principal, Samantha Jones, engaged in the CLASS coaching intervention
in the fall (2008) with her coach, Esther MacDonald. The coach provided
individualized guidance and support to Ms. Jones for the 2008-2009 academic year.
This support was tailored to the principal’s needs as determined by data relating to
student achievement obtained from the 2006-2007 California Standards Test and
through specific issues that arose on a daily basis, which concerned Ms. Jones. The
tailored support for the principal’s identified areas of growth utilized “blended
coaching” strategies developed by CLASS. Blended coaching strategies include
instructional coaching, consultative coaching, collaborative coaching,
transformational coaching, and facilitative coaching. A description of each coaching
strategy is provided in the following bulleted list regarding the components of the
CLASS program. Face-to-face coaching sessions occurred two times a month for an
hour each session, in addition to weekly phone calls initiated by Ms. Jones, based on
her need for guidance. Sessions were designed to successfully accomplish the goals
that were collaboratively developed.
The intended outcomes from the CLASS coaching intervention were to align
with the principal’s needs, the ISLLC standards, and the district’s goals outlined in
the strategic plan. District goals included: 1) improving and 2) aligning teacher
practice, and 3) development of consistent teaching practice for English Learners
51
across the district. At each coaching session, specific goals for the principal were
identified. The coach and Ms. Jones created a detailed plan with benchmark target
tasks (action plan) to be achieved in order to meet the identified objectives.
The goal of CLASS is to improve student achievement by developing
effective leadership practice (NTC, 2006). CLASS designed its coaching program to
include the following components (NTC, Coaching Program Resources, 2006):
• One-to-one guidance and support throughout the 2008-2009 academic
year with frequency and duration of the sessions determined by the needs
of the coachee
• Sessions that are designed to meet principal’s individual short-term and
long-term professional goals
• Instructional coaching where the coach “[serves] as a personal teacher,
consultant and collaborator” (NTC, Coaching Program Resources, 2006,
p. 2) to the principal
• Facilitative support where the coach provides reflective questioning and
feedback which enables the leader to “analyze [his/her] perceptions and
behaviors” and leads the school principal to “experiment with new ways
of doing things” (NTC, Coaching Program Resources, 2006, p. 2)
• Each of the consultative, collaborative and transformational coaching
strategies are categories which are not fully distinct.
Consultative coaching tends to be instructional, but may also be facilitative,
and so forth. The boundaries between these strategies are permeable, and an
52
effective coach must rely not only upon a set of strategies and skills, but also
upon intuition, artistry and ambiguity (NTC, 2006, p. 27).
Sampling Criteria and Process
Participants and Settings
Sample - The study relied upon purposeful sampling to identify a single
urban school principal. The principal, Samantha Jones led a small, urban elementary
school in Southern California. According to Patton (2002), selecting information rich
cases strategically and purposefully allows the researcher to select “cases from which
one can learn a great deal about matters of importance and therefore worthy of in-
depth study” (pg. 242). The reason for purposeful sampling was to gather in-depth
inquiry and understanding (Patton, 2002) of a novice school administrator and her
leadership practices. Ms. Jones was a first year principal. The school’s
demographics included overwhelming numbers of students from poverty; significant
numbers of ethnic minority students; and an achievement gap between ethnic
minorities and Caucasian and Asian students.
External validity is the extent to which results can be generalized to other
populations, settings, CLASS interventions, and measurements. Since this was a
purposeful study, sampling focused on insight about the phenomenon, leadership
practice and its impact, not empirical generalization from the sample to a population.
Patton contends that (2002), “Studying information-rich cases yields insights
and in-depth understanding rather than empirical generalizations” (p.230). The
53
principal aligned with the purpose and goals of the study by having met the
following criteria:
1. The principal must be serving in the first two years of his or her
administration at the site
2. The leader must be receiving blended coaching support from a CLASS
trained coach
3. The leader must work in a setting with urban characteristics; these may
include high minority populations, low SES, low student achievement, or
a gap in achievement among student groups
4. There is a significant, persistent achievement gap in the percent proficient
between student groups (ethnic minority students and economically
disadvantaged students) when compared to their White, Asian, and
economically advantaged peers
Case Study: Whitebriar Elementary School
Description of Whitebriar Elementary School Context
Whitebriar Elementary was founded in 1977 as one of five elementary
schools in Dunston Unified School District, located at the base of the foothills in San
Gabriel, California. These five elementary schools feed into a middle school and
ultimately a comprehensive high school with an alternative education program.
Dunston Unified School District (DUSD).
There are 400 hundred students that make up the population of Whitebriar
Elementary School. The breakdown of school demographics is as follows: 88% of
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Hispanic origin, 6% Caucasian, 2 % African American, 3% American Indian, Asian
and Filipino and 1% of multiple ethnic backgrounds. Additionally, 73% of the
students receive Free/Reduced lunch, indicating that they are from low SES and 48%
of the students are English Learners (EL). The number of Special Education students
is not statistically significant for this study as they comprise less than 1% of the
population of students at Whitebriar.
The school facility is comprised of twenty-three classrooms, a multipurpose
room and a library/media center with wireless Internet capabilities and laptop
computers. Upon the school’s modernization in 1995, each classroom was equipped
with air conditioning, new carpeting and tiled floor, in addition to its own television,
VCR/DVD player, two to four computers for Internet access and overhead projector.
Instruction is provided by 23 Highly Qualified Teachers (as determined by
meeting standards set forth by NCLB) who participate in specialized training on best
teaching practices and technology during three staff development days that take
place during the academic school year. More than 50% of the staff has attained
advanced degrees and 11 of the 23 certificated staff members have completed
DUSD’s Leadership Seminars. Many Certificated Staff members belong to
professional affiliations such as The California Reading Association, Science
Teachers, Associated of California Administrators, and the Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development, to name a few. The certificated staff is
comprised of:
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• 17 General Education teachers serving grades K-6
• One Pre-K Special Education Day Class (SDC) teacher
• One K-1 Special Education Day Class (SDC) teacher
• One Resource Specialist (RSP), providing special services to learning
disabled students
• One Literacy Coach who supports classroom teachers and intervenes on
the behalf of students struggling with literacy
• One Outreach Consultant who coordinates interventions for at-risk
students and their families.
• One Speech and Language therapist whose services include a pullout
program geared for students with speech and language difficulties.
The educational program of the teachers is supported by Whitebriar’s
classified staff, which includes four bilingual/biliterate aides providing support to
English Learners (EL) through one-to-one instruction or in small groups. Special
Day Classes (SDC) services are provided to students with special needs where the
mainstream classroom is not the least restrictive environment. Kids in SDC
participate with mainstream students in non-academic courses such as fine arts,
lunch, P.E. and technology. However, main academic classes are taught in small
class sizes with a ratio of one teacher per each eight students. These students receive
behavioral interventions and services from three special education aides as well. The
school is kept running smoothly by the office manager, clerical aide, two custodians,
health aide, playground supervisors and cafeteria staff.
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Mission Statement
According to the 2008-2009 Whitebriar School Single Plan for Student
Achievement:
The mission of Whitebriar School is to provide a child-centered environment
which develops a comprehensive education foundation. Our goal is for every
child to build a positive self-image, become a responsible member of society,
and embrace the rich diversity of the global community. (Whitebriar, Single
Plan for Student Achievement, 2008; p. 3-4).
Vision Statement
The school’s Single Plan for Student Achievement (2008-2009) additionally
states the vision of the school as:
…a guiding force that will foster a lasting thirst for knowledge. We envision
Whitebriar as a community with students who are self-directed learners,
effective communicators, technologically confident, and academically
competitive. Our students will have the skills, courage, desire, self-assurance
and motivation to succeed. We will create a society that includes students,
teachers, staff, parents, and community members collaborating to nurture and
inspire success. This society will share an everlasting sense of pride that
transcends o the borders of our school. (Whitebriar, Single Plan for Student
Achievement, 2008; p. 3)
Whitebriar Elementary School: Principal Samantha Jones
Samantha Jones began her career in education after receiving a Bachelor of
Arts in Liberal Studies along with her Preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching
Credential from Biola University. She served as a teacher in both the Vista Heights
USD and Mongolia USD for a total of seven years before taking the position of
Program Advisor for Mongolia USD. She received a Master of Science in
Educational Leadership and her Preliminary Administrative Credential in 2002 and
began her administration as a principal in Mongolia USD in 2004. She was hired as
57
the principal of Whitebriar Elementary on July 1, 2008 and her interactions with the
staff began in August of 2008. She has currently been serving as Whitebriar’s
administrator for a total of six months. In October of 2008, Samantha began
receiving coaching from Evelyn MacDonald. Samantha had actually chosen the
coach herself, which is not in compliance with the CLASS coaching protocols. Ms.
Jones stated that she chose Evelyn MacDonald to be her coach because she had been
a practicing principal for a number of years before moving into her consulting
position as Director of Professional Career Development, Alternative Programs &
Adult Education for Mongolia Unified School District. Ms. Jones stated that she had
known Ms. MacDonald for a number of years and had developed a strong bond and
friendship with. Evelyn MacDonald had highly recommended Samantha for the
position of principal at Whitebriar. Although CLASS protocols deem it necessary
that the coach should be unknown, they stress the emphasis that the coach is
someone who is not in an evaluative position. That being stated, Samantha and her
coach have stayed true to the protocols. The fact that the coach and coachee already
had a very positive relationship prior to the inception of the program may impact the
results of the study.
The extent of Samantha’s coaching included verbal conversations over the
phone every other day between Ms. Jones and her coach. This is the day-to-day
guidance that Samantha feels is essential to helping her address emergencies that
arise at the site and how to best tackle them. The duo meet in person two times per
58
month to discuss ongoing issues, and also as a way to bond and relieve the pressure
and stress associated with the job.
Baseline School Data
The baseline data for Whitebriar Elementary has been generated from the
2006-2007 and 2007-2008 CST scores. Due to the nature of the school’s
demographics, it is difficult to compare Language Arts and Math student
performance of different ethnicities, as the school’s demographics include being
mainly comprised of Hispanic students.
During the 2006 – 2007 academic year, the API score at Whitebriar was 733
and grew 28 points for an API of 761 in the 2007-2008 academic school year. The
documented growth exceeded their target growth by 23 points. As a whole school,
the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced on the Language Arts CST
for 2007 was 40.7% and 45.4% in 2008, indicating an increase of 4.7%. Caucasian
students exceeding the school wide averages with proficiency scores for 2007 and
2008 at 38.1% and 52.4%, respectively. Hispanic students fell slightly lower than the
school wide standard and significantly lower than Caucasian students with Proficient
or Advanced scores on the 2007 CST at 40.2% and 43.2% in 2008.
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged students scored lower percentages at 41 % for
both 2007 and 2008, indicating no growth for this subgroup. English Learners fell
significantly lower than the school wide standard and all other subgroups with
Proficient or Advanced scores at 29.5% in 2007 and 33.3% in 2008. The school’s EL
students did not meet the AYP criteria for the 2008 school year. Though all
59
subgroups indicate growth, there is a large achievement gap between English
Learners and their fluent English-speaking counterparts in the area of Language Arts.
In an examination of Math scores for the 2007 and 2008 CST, school wide
scores indicate the percentage of students Proficient or Advanced in Math were
45.1% and 52.8%, respectively. Hispanic students were fairly on par with the school
scores with 2007 and 2008 scores revealing 45% and 50.7 % respectively. Caucasian
students demonstrated enormous growth in this area with Proficient or Advanced
scores rising from 38.15 to 66.7%. Socioeconomically Disadvantaged students
demonstrated gains from 45% Proficient or Advanced in 2007 to 51% in 2008.EL
students once again fell significantly behind the rest of the school in the area of Math
with their Proficient or Advanced scores for 2007 and 2008 demonstrating only
36.2% and 38.5%. There is a documented discrepancy in scores and growth between
the school’s English speaking students and ELs. In addition, White students showed
significantly larger growth gains from 2007 to 2008 in both Language Arts and Math
than any other demographic group. The following table provides a breakdown of the
scores previously discussed.
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Table 1. Student Percentages of Proficient or Advanced Scores on Language Arts
California Standards Test
2006-2007 2007-2008 Change
School 40.7% 45.4% +4.7%
Caucasian 38.1 52.4% +14.3%
Hispanic 40.2% 43.2% +3.0%
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 41% 41% 0%
English Learner 29.5% 33.3% +0.6%
Table 2. Student Percentages of Proficient or Advanced Scores on Math California
Standards Test
2006-2007 2007-2008 Change
School 45.1% 52.8% +7.7%
Caucasian 38.1% 66.7% +28.6%
Hispanic 45.0% 51% +5.7%
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 45.2% 49% +3.8%
English Learner 36.2% 38.5% +2.3%
Instrumentation and Procedures: Surveys and Interviews
Survey
The quantitative tool for measuring principal practice prior to the CLASS
training (pre-test) and after the intervention (post-test) was the VAL-ED. “The
conceptual framework for VAL-ED is based on a review of the learning-centered
leadership research literature and alignment to the Interstate School Leaders
Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards” (Porter, Goldring, Murphy, Elliott, and
Cravens, 2006, p.1). As noted, the VAL-ED is grounded in the Learning Centered
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Leadership Theory. The six core components measured by the survey were based on
the research and reflect the characteristics of schools that foster student learning and
teacher practice. The six core components were: 1) high standards for student
performance, 2) rigorous curriculum, 3) quality instruction, 4) culture of learning and
professional behavior, 5) connections to external communities, and 6) systemic
performance (Porter, et al., 2006).
The VAL-ED incorporates a “multi-rater, evidence-based approach to
measure the effectiveness of school leadership behaviors known to influence teacher
performance and student learning” (Porter, et. al, 2006, p. 2). According to Porter,
Goldring, Murphy, Elliott, and Cravens (2006), the
VAL-ED is conceptualized as a multi-component assessment system for
measuring critical leadership behaviors of individual educators especially in
urban settings for the purposes of diagnostic analysis, performance feedback,
progress monitoring, and personnel decisions (p. 1)
The principal’s behaviors were evaluated by the principal herself and
teachers at the school site. The VAL-Ed conceptualizes leadership behavior as two
dimensional. The behaviors the survey assessed were defined by the intersection of
the two dimensions. The first dimension consists of core components of school
performance. The Core Components relate “to characteristics of schools that support
the learning of students and enhance the ability of teachers to teach” (Porter,
Goldring, Murphy, Elliot, Cravens, 2006; p.1). As previously noted, the VAL-ED
identifies six core components which include: 1) high standards for student
performance, 2) rigorous curriculum, 3) quality instruction, 4) culture of learning and
62
professional behavior, 5) connections to external communities, and 6) systemic
performance. High Standards for Student Learning requires the incorporation of
individual, team and school goals to determine the rigor of social and academic
learning. Rigorous Curriculum encompasses the academic content that is provided to
students in all academic areas. Quality Instruction relates to the pedagogy of
instructional practices the assist in maximizing student learning. Culture of Learning
and Professional Behavior focus on the integration of professional practice, and the
provision of a positive school environment with student learning and well-being at
its center. Connections to External Communities focuses on building the
relationships between the school, families and additional community resources to
benefit students and their learning. Performance Accountability asserts that the
performance of students’ academic and social learning is linked to the individual and
collective responsibility garnered by both faculty and students (Porter, Goldring,
Murphy, Elliott & Cravens, 2006).
The second dimension defines the leadership behaviors that can lead to
producing each core component of school performance. The Key Processes “ are
leadership behaviors, most notably aspects of transformational leadership
traditionally associated with processes of leadership that raise organizational
members’ levels of commitment and shape organizational culture” (Porter, Goldring,
Murphy, Elliott, and Cravens, 2006, p. 2). Planning demonstrates a need for a
collaborative direction and policies, practices and procedures to foster high
expectations for student learning. Engaging individuals, their ideas and various
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resources are the activities that encompass implementing. Supporting creates
conditions needed for securing and using financial, technological, political and
human resources to promote learning. Advocating is defined by promoting the needs
of students both within and beyond the scope of the school’s walls. Communicating
develops, utilizes and maintains exchanges between the school and the external
communities. Monitoring relates to the strategic collection and analysis of data to
drive decisions surrounding continuous improvement. Figure 5 depicts a sample
taken from the VAL-Ed questionnaire, highlighting the levels of implementation to
which a leader demonstrates the behavior.
Figure 5. VAL-ED Sample
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The leadership behaviors assessed can be evaluated at the intersection of the
two dimensions (see Figure 4). According to the conceptual framework, this survey
question assesses the extent to which the school leadership plans for high standards
for student learning (the intersection between planning and high standards for student
learning) or plans for rigorous academic and social learning goals (the intersection
between planning and high standards for student learning).
Learning centered leadership is the core foundation of the VAL-Ed survey
(Murphy, Elliot, Goldring & Porter, 2006), addressing the four prevailing conditions
that the leader brings with them and the way that these influence the eight major
dimensions of effective leadership practice as outlined by the theory. The VAL-Ed
additionally assesses the components of instructional leadership: 1) defining the
school’s mission; 2) managing the instructional program and, 3) promoting a
positive school-learning climate. The elements of Hallinger’s (2003) model of
transformational leadership, including: individualized support, shared goals, vision,
intellectual stimulation, culture building, rewards, high expectations and modeling,
can also be found embedded within the VAL-Ed assessment. The VAL-Ed’s
relationship to the integrated model is that it measured all aspects of each framework
and the degree to which various attributes are implemented over time, while
simultaneously evaluating leader practice that is consistent with the effective leader
practices outlined in the ISLLC standards.
For reliability purposes, researchers Porter, Polikoff, Murphy, Goldring,
Elliot, and May (2008) used the VAL-Ed in a nine-school pilot study. In order to
65
determine the reliabilities of the core components and key process, Cronbach’s
Alpha was used. The study revealed that there was a high internal consistency of
reliability for both core components and key processes. The overall reliability scores
on the 72-item forms was .98. However, reliability scores on core components were
slightly higher than those scores on key processes.
The internal validity of this study may be threatened by extraneous variables
that cannot be controlled for. In an attempt to ameliorate unforeseen confounding
factors, Patton (2002) suggests implementing a mixed-methods design to increase the
internal validity through the use of multiple methods to test for consistency of
findings.
Interviews
As mentioned in the previous section, the VAL-Ed is a 360-degree tool that
necessitates input from the leader and the principal’s staff members. However, there
are limitations to this kind of close-ended survey. The responses generated by the
participants are fixed in that they must somehow fit all of their feelings, emotions
and experiences into categories that are pre-determined. There is a potential threat
that the valuable perspectives of these individuals may be diluted or distorted
through this form of survey.
The principal was interviewed for 30 minutes over the phone using a
standardized, open-ended interview protocol prior to participating in CLASS
coaching. After three months of CLASS coaching, 30 minute, face-to-face interviews
were conducted with the principal, CLASS coach and five purposefully selected
66
teachers that were representative of the teacher population with respect to years of
experience, and grade level. The teachers selected had volunteered, as participation
and interest in the survey was poor. Of the five volunteers, one was a new teacher in
her first year of education. The respondents included a counselor, 2
nd
grade teacher,
5
th
grade teacher, 6
th
grade teacher and Resource Specialist. Four of the five
interviewees were veteran teachers, who had all accumulated an average of 30 years
of teaching. These volunteers included four women and one man. Though the
protocols were standardized, they were specific to the nature of the interviewee’s
position. For example, all teachers were asked to respond to the same protocol;
however, the principal was given her own set of similar, though not exactly verbatim
questions. The purpose of using interviews was to find out information that could not
be captured through any other means. This allowed for the gathering of rich detail
related directly to the first-hand experiences and feelings of the interviewees. The
open-ended questions afforded the interviewee the opportunity to personalize his or
her own experience.
1. Principal Interview
The majority of the questions that the principal was asked can be described as
experience and behavior questions. These types of questions sought to gather
information regarding the leader’s “behaviors, experiences, actions and activities that
would have been observable had the observer been present” (Patton, 2002). In
addition, opinion and values questions were asked to gain an understanding of the
leader’s judgments and values that guided her actions and behaviors in practicum.
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This interview addressed the research questions: 1) How does working with a
CLASS coach influence the leadership practices of an urban school administrator 2)
In what ways does leadership practice influence the professional practice of teachers
and 3) In what ways does the leader influence and incorporate the values of the
faculty and community?
2. Teacher Interviews
Teachers at the principal’s school possessed valuable first-hand knowledge
regarding the observable actions and behaviors of the leader. For this reason, many
of the questions directed at the teachers consisted of experience and behavior
questions. It was additionally paramount to ascertain how the teachers felt in reaction
to the leader’s behaviors. Feeling questions were inquired to understand the affect of
the leaders’ behavior on the teachers’ emotional states. Discovering one’s emotions
is different from gathering his or her opinion. Feeling protocols were asked in a
manner intended to draw out the interviewees’ emotional response. How teachers
feel about the way the leader behaves and acts will be indicative of the leader’s
success in cultivating and shaping social culture. This interview addressed research
questions: 1) How does working with a CLASS coach influence the leadership
practices of an urban school administrator 2) In what ways does leadership practice
influence the professional practice of teachers and 3) In what ways does the leader
influence and incorporate the values of the faculty and community?
The following section contains detailed descriptions of the study’s approach
to addressing the research questions for the study. Each of the research questions
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addressed a unique outcome or set of outcomes that CLASS may affect: 1) a change
in the principal’s leadership practice; 2) a change in the instructional practice of
teachers; and 3) alterations to the prevailing organizational culture.
Instrumentation and Procedures: Documentation Analysis
Quantitative
Quantitative data were collected using an online version of the VAL-Ed
survey after the principal had participated in three months of CLASS coaching. This
timeframe allowed a minimal amount of time in which the principal could apply the
strategies learned from the CLASS coaching intervention (post-assessment) in spring
(2009). The online version took between 30-45 minutes for the principal and the
teachers to complete. Although the original design for the study included a pre/post
data collection design, the VAL ED survey was used to collect baseline data that
could be used descriptively, in concert with post-intervention qualitative data to
triangulate findings. Although attempts were made to have both the principal and her
teachers take the survey in the fall, the principal was unable to take the survey and
only four of her teachers took the survey. An outside vendor scored the assessments
for the group. The purpose for using the outside source to compile the survey data
was to reduce the potential for human error by a single person. The raw data were
analyzed along with the composite scores from each of the Core Components and
Key Processes.
The scores from the completed VAL-Ed were composite scores defined at the
intersection of the two Dimensions: what leaders fulfill in order to increase students’
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academic achievement (i.e., core components) and how principals establish
conditions that support those core component (i.e., key processes) (Porter, Goldring,
Murphy, Elliott, and Cravens, 2006). Figure 6 illustrates a sample of the overall
effectiveness score and sample report. The VAL-ED behavior inventory provided a
total score, six core component subscale scores and six key process subscale scores
for each of the three respondent types. The scores from the teachers were all based
on the average item scores across all teacher respondents. The total leadership core
components and key processes effectiveness ratings are interpreted against a national
representative sample of principals for which a percentile rank score is provided.
These scores were also interpreted against a set of performance standards ranging
from Basic to Distinguished as illustrated below in Figure 6. The figure is
illustrative only and does not reflect the results from the principal’s survey.
Figure 6. VAL-ED Overall Effectiveness Sample
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Figure 7 (VAL-ED, 2008) provides a sample of how respondents rate
leadership effectiveness while providing evidence sources. This is for illustration
only and does not represent the survey results for the principal in this study.
Figure 7. VAL-ED Leadership Effectiveness
Qualitative
According to Patton, “Qualitative analysis transforms data into findings”
(2002, p. 432). During the interviews, copious notes were taken in addition to the
usage of an audio voice recording of the interview, when permission was granted
from the interviewee. Two of the five volunteer teacher interviewees declined
permission to be audio recorded and therefore only handwritten notes of the
interview were used. The data obtained from the interviews were then carefully
transcribed into Word documents. Following the transcription, the data was
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purposefully coded to identify recurring themes throughout the various interviews
using Creswell’s (2003) six step analysis procedure as a guideline. Creswell (2003)
identifies the process to sequentially include 1) preparing and organizing data, 2)
reading data, 3) subsequent coding of data into specific categories, 4) generating
appropriate descriptions or themes, 5) conveying descriptions into narratives and 6)
interpreting data.
Triangulation
Patton (2002) notes that using multiple methods for data collection
strengthens the validity of research intrinsic to the ability to provide opportunities for
cross-examination of the data. This process is known as methodological
triangulation and it will be utilized in this study for the purpose of incorporating
both the quantitative and qualitative data. This method will allow for enhanced data
analysis as well as increased internal validity. The matrix provided in Table 3
demonstrates the triangulation of the multiple tools used for data collection.
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Table 3. Data Collection Instrument
Data Collection Instrument
Research Questions
VAL-ED Surveys
(Principal, Teachers)
Pre
Interview
(Principal)
Post Interview
(Principal)
Post Interview
(Teachers)
How does working
with a CLASS
leadership coach
influence the
leadership practices of
urban school
principals?
Questions 1-72 Questions 4,
5, 6, 7 and 8
All Questions
and their sub-
questions
General
Question 1,
ISLLC Linked
Questions 1,
1a, 1b, 1c, 1d
In what ways does the
leadership practice
influence the
professional practice of
teachers?
Questions 2, 6, 7, 8,
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20,
25, 29, 30, 36, 42, 67,
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Questions 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7
and 8
Questions 2,
2a, 2b, 2c, 6,
6a, 6b,
General
Question 2,
ISLLC Linked
Questions 2, 2a,
2b, 2c
In what ways does the
leader influence and
incorporate the values
of faculty and the
community?
Question 3, 4, 5, 7, 8,
9, 10, 13,
14,15,16,17, 18, 19,
25, 31, 38, 39, 40, 45,
48, 55, 57, 58, 59, 69,
Questions 3,
5, 6, 7
Questions 3,
3a, 3b, 4, 4a,
4b, 5, 5a, 5b,
5c, 5d
ISLLC Linked
Questions 3, 3a,
3b, 4, 4a,
Table 4. Timeline of Study
Date & Participants Instrument Time
Fall 2008
Principal Pre- Interview 60 minutes
Spring 2009
Principal Baseline VAL-ED 60
Teachers Baseline VAL-ED 90
Principal Post-Interview 30
Teachers Post-Interview 30
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Moral and Ethical Considerations
Qualitative inquiry is a demanding process which necessitates that the
researcher adhere to a strict moral and ethical code in an attempt to respect the views
and feelings offered by those willing to participate in the study. It is essential that
through the analysis of the data that the coded information accurately depicts the
intended meaning of the opinions and ideas of the participant in their statement
(Patton, 2002). With respect to all of the participants, the confidentiality of the
information provided was handled with great care by including consent forms and
protection of human subjects contracts to uphold the promise that the researcher will
respect the privacy rights of the participants involved in the study. This research
adhered to the moral and ethical guidelines as determined by the Institutional Review
Board (IRB) of the University of Southern California.
Chapter four will analyze the data that has been collected through the use of
the VAL-Ed survey, the pre-post interview of the principal, and the interviews of the
CLASS coach and teachers after the principal has received four months of the
coaching intervention. Chapter 5 will provide a summary of key findings for the
study and provide an analysis in the context of the literature review. Additionally,
implications for practice, research and policy will be provided.
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CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
Summary of the Data
The purpose of this chapter is to 1) present and analyze the data collected for
this study; and to 2) report on the findings for each research question presented in the
study. There were four instruments utilized in the collection of these data: 1) the
Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED) survey administered
in the spring (2009) to the principal and five teachers; data collected from a 2) pre-
coaching interview with Ms. Jones; 3) a post-intervention interview with Ms. Jones
following three months of CLASS coaching; and data collected from 4) interviews
conducted with five teachers following three months of Ms. Jones’ having
participated in CLASS coaching with Ester MacDonald. Stacey what about the
interview data collected from the CLASS coach?
This section will present the data collected in this study from pre and post
intervention interviews with the principal that were conducted face-to-face using an
open-ended questionnaire; 30 minute face-to-face interviews with teachers utilized
an open-ended questionnaire used to collect data after the principal had participated
in three months of coaching; Val-ED survey data collected from both the principal
and teachers in the spring (2009) after three months of CLASS coaching. In addition
data were obtained from document analysis of the school’s 2008 Single Plan for
Student Achievement. The summary of findings will give a detailed description of
the leader’s practices in relation to the research questions for this study.
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Val-ED Survey Results
The pre-CLASS coaching assessment of the principal’s leadership practice
was to have been collected using the online version of the VAL-ED in the fall
(2008). Only 17% of the teaching staff (N=4 out of 22 teachers) elected to participate
in this survey. The principal did not take the survey. Although the principal was
highly cooperative and eager to learn more about her leadership practices, she was
unable to finish the survey due to technical problems and the window of opportunity
closed in which she was able to access the survey again to complete it. The deficit of
teacher responses combined with no data from the principal make the initial
administration of the Val-Ed null and void. The Val-Ed was created with the
intention of being a 360 degree survey, incorporating the results from key
stakeholders in the school. The fall VAL ED survey data were incomplete without
the input from the principal and could not be used. Not only does this decrease the
validity of the study, it changes the design from pre-post survey data to a baseline
data collection of leader practice following three months of the CLASS coaching
intervention.
Post-Coaching Val-ED Survey Results
Following three months of coaching with a coach who has a longstanding and
supportive relationship with the principal, 45% (N= 10 out of 22 teachers) of the
teaching staff at Whitebriar participated in the survey. Due to the teaching staff’s
lack of interest in participating in the initial administration of the Val-ED, teachers
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were offered an incentive through a raffle where four survey-takers’ names were
drawn at random and each of the winners received $25 in cash.
Based upon her Overall Total Effectiveness score of 3.71, the principal’s
performance level is determined as Proficient. Her Overall Total Effectiveness score
in percentile rank was 62%, indicating her scores as slightly better than average. The
VAL-ED describes principals who achieved a score of Proficient to be considered as
“…a leader [who] exhibits learning-centered leadership behaviors at levels of
effectiveness that are likely to influence teachers positively and that result in
acceptable value-added to student achievement and social learning for all students”
(VAL-ED Principal Report, 2008, p. 3).
The Val-Ed measured the mean score, performance level and percentile rank
of the following six Core Components 1) High Standards for Learning; 2) Rigorous
Curriculum; 3) Quality Instruction; 4) Culture of Learning & Professional Behavior;
5) Connections to External Communities; and 6) Performance Accountability. Ms.
Jones scored Proficient in all of the six core components excepting Connections to
External Communities and Performance Accountability. In the area of Connections
to External Communities, she scored at the Basic level. The Val-ED descriptor states
that at the basic level of proficiency the leader “exhibits behaviors at levels of
effectiveness that are likely to influence teachers positively and that results in
acceptable value-added to student achievement and social learning for some sub-
groups of students, but not all.” (Val-ED Principal Report, 2008, p.3). In the area of
Performance Accountability, Ms. Jones scored at the Below Basic level, which
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indicates “levels of effectiveness that are unlikely to influence teachers positively nor
result in acceptable value-added to student achievement and social learning for
students.” (Val-ED Principal Report, 2008, p.3). The principal’s rating of her
leadership behaviors was significantly lower than those of the teachers, with the
principal’s own self-assessment scores averaging about .75 points lower in each
category than those of the teachers. This considerably lowered her mean scores in
each category of the Core Components and Key Processes. (See Appendix for
summary of the findings of the Core Component Scores and the Key Processes
Scores.)
The principal’s scores on the Core Components ranged from a low of 3.22 in
Performance Accountability to a high of 3.98 in Rigorous Curriculum. In the areas of
the Key Processes displayed by the principal, low and high ratings ranged from 3.55
for Planning to 3.92 for Communicating. (See Appendix for the integration summary
of the Core Components and Key Processes for the Post-Coaching Survey).
The following areas were generated by the Val-ED Principal Report (2009)
as leadership behaviors for possible improvement: 1) Monitoring Connections to
External Communities; 2) Monitoring; Performance Accountability; 3)
Communicating Performance Accountability; 4) Planning Performance
Accountability; 5) Implementing Connections to External Communities; and 6)
Supporting Performance Accountability.
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Principal Pre-Coaching Interview
The information collected during the pre-coaching interview provided an
overall sense of Samantha Jones’ expectations for her coaching experience and the
leadership practices she perceived focusing on implementing while serving in her
first year as principal at Whitebriar Elementary.
Ms. Jones’s shared that this was her fifth year in administration, though it
was her first year as principal at Whitebriar. She was also new to the Dunston
Unified School District. She stated that the school’s core belief is that greatness
begins at Whitebriar. Ms. Jones informed, “It all boils down to that … we believe
greatness begins at our school. We provide well-rounded education that focuses on
helping them to become literate in reading, writing, speaking and also in
technology.” She also stated that it was her goal to influence teacher practice “By
being a part of the team - visiting classrooms, conducting observations, giving them
new perspectives they are unable to see because they are in the middle things.
Helping them by doing whatever is necessary.” She also relayed her intent to provide
teachers with unconditional support by “assisting teachers in whatever ways
necessary to help them do their jobs, including providing them with instructional
materials, model lessons, sending them to conferences or simply giving them a pat
on their back in support or to boost morale.”
When inquired regarding her expectations for the coaching process,
Samantha stated, “I expect that I will be getting a different perspective that I can’t
see.” Her coach is consultant for Dunston Unified and when further prompted to
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elaborate her expectations for her relationship with her coach, Ms. Jones stated that
she forsees her relationship with her coach to be strong. “I expect it to be not as
casual as a friendship but not as formal as with the superintendent. Good rapport and
to be honest and real and not have to worry about evaluations hanging over my
head.”
Post-Coaching Interview
The post-coaching interview with Ms. Jones was conducted after three
months of coaching, in Spring of 2009. It must be noted that although this is a post-
coaching interview, indicating the end of coaching, that is not true. It is the end of
coaching for the purpose of this research. However, Ms. Jones will continue two
years of coaching in compliance with the guidelines recommended by the CLASS
coaching program.
The questions generated for this interview were created in accordance with
the Interstate Leadership Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards and the questions
from the VAL ED survey. The California Professional Standards for Educational
Leaders (CPSELs) were not included in the analysis. The CPSELs are acknowledged
only in the state of California, whereas CLASS Coaching is a national program
currently being implemented in various states across the country. CLASS was
designed with the specific intent to correlate to the ISLLC standards. The purpose of
the aforementioned interview questions was to look for recurring themes that support
best leadership practices as documented by the ISLLC standards and CLASS.
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ISLLC Standard # 1 relates to high standards for Student Learning. It states
that “A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all
students by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and
stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school
community” (ISLLC, 2009). One of the many ways this can occur is through the
leader communicating high expectations for student learning to the staff. Following
her coaching experience, Samantha felt that she had successfully put this practice in
place. One of the ways I do this is to just make sure that I know who the students are,
look out for ‘radar kids’ and have those conversations with teachers about them
regularly; about how those kids are doing as well as any [other] kids they have
concerns about.” She ensured continuous school improvement by analyzing
assessment data on a regular basis and collaboratively creating goals with the staff.
“[We] analyze assessment data on a regular basis, we created goals together that we
continually revisited and see if we are meeting our goals. She stated that, “It is
essential that I am present in classrooms to gain observational data in relation to
student progress and teacher practice. It allows me to then present what I observed to
the staff members. It’s a matter of being, as my coach says, in the right place at the
right time. This was something that was coached to me.”
ISSLC Standard # 2 mandates that “A school administrator is an educational
leader who promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and
sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning
and staff professional growth (ISLLC, 2009). This standard highlights the culture of
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a school and the role the leader plays in creating a culture where all students are
regarded as being capable of achieving at high standards. When asked what
organizational structures she has incorporated to ensure student success, Ms. Jones
revealed that the leadership team structure was put into place before she came on as
principal. “The whole leadership team concept was already there when I got there,
but I Loved the way it was set-up. There are about 10 committees and each
leadership member is expected to lead one of those committees. That organizational
structure has allowed for all of the organizational structures at the school to be
addressed. Everyone on the leadership team takes on a leadership role in one
particular area and that individual covers everything.” Her coach has guided her in
ensuring that she maintains the leadership team, which is composed of ten members,
each on a specific committee that addresses a targeted area of student achievement.
The committee member is responsible for overseeing the forward momentum of the
school in relation to their committee. When asked how she created a collaborative
school culture that fosters the belief that all children can learn, the principal credits
her coach with supporting her in this area. “She’s allowed me to have a sounding
board where I can ask questions, work through it and then propose ideas. It’s given
me the confidence to be able to tackle any kind of challenge that is presented to me,”
commented Ms. Jones, during a face-to-face interview.
Post-Coaching Teacher Interviews
The following data were compiled from individual, face-to-face, 30 minute
interviews conducted with five different educators from Whitebriar. The staff
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members’ years of experience range from one to 38, with the median number of
experiential years at 30 and the mean at 24.4. This is reflective of the largely veteran
population of staff members at Whitebriar. Those interviewed teach RSP, 2
nd
grade,
5
th
, 6
th
and one is a school counselor. All of the interviewees volunteered; they were
not purposefully selected as was initially intended at the inception of this study.
When asked how coaching has influenced the principal’s practice, Vanessa
Dinkins stated that the principal has increased her classroom visitations. “She visits
the classrooms regularly and when she comes around with the [Assistant
Superintendent of Education] he gives her something to look for.” Other changes to
her leadership since being coached include raising teachers’ awareness that she is
looking for student engagement. Alison Smith responded that there has been a
difference in the direction of Ms. Jones’s vision. “… I have seen a difference in the
direction of her vision. When we first started out, I was very outspoken in having her
share what her vision for the school was and she said that she would get there in
time. Now [the vision] is very well communicated.” Ms. Smith did not elaborate on
what the principal’s vision initially was or how it had changed over the course of the
school year. Mary Green, Leslie Eng, and Pat Sarsfield all stated that it was too
difficult to determine changes in her practice given the short period of time she has
been the administrator at this school and receiving coaching.
The interviewees were asked how the principal communicates the school’s
vision and her own high expectations for faculty and students. There were quite a
variety of responses in this area, and many of the respondents didn’t fully address the
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question. A synthesis of the information includes that she communicates the school’s
vision and her high expectations through setting examples and modeling how to put
student needs first. She clearly communicates expectations through consistent verbal
dialogue. The interviewees where then further prompted to elicit what were Mrs.
Jones’s high expectations. According to Alison Smith, Ms. Jones provided, “Equal
access to the core curriculum for all students, in a child-friendly, save environment.
Teachers need to be informed on current practices that would best meet the needs of
the students [and] she communicates that in grade level meetings.” Vanessa Dinkins
provided information that Ms. Jones expects “that we will doe the best that we can
for kids and that no matter what, we can do it.” A summary of Samantha Jones’ high
expectations included: 1) providing equal access to the core curriculum for all
students, in a child-friendly, safe environment; 2) teachers need to be informed and
familiar with current best teaching practices; 3) teachers are expected to take ELD
strategies and direct instruction techniques that are taught and utilize them in the
classroom setting, 3) objectives for each lesson always need to be written on the
board; 4) that there will be growth and improvement in CST scores, with a dramatic
focus on improving Language Arts scores of EL students.
The teachers were asked to provide information with regard to how Ms. Jones
ensures continuous school improvement. The responses were all very consistent in
that there “was a constant revisiting of the goals that the staff has set for themselves
and for the students.” When further prompted as to how the principal provides
feedback with regard to meeting these goals, there was again great consistency. “The
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principal provides prompt and immediate feedback whenever she is in a classroom,
whether the purpose of the observation be formal or informal.” Marliyn Granted
supplied that “she always leaves a note starting with positive comments and ending
with questions for the teacher to reflect upon. Sometimes, it will be followed up with
a formal conversation.” The weekly “Circle of Life” meetings provided a starting
point for feedback as data was reviewed and analyzed. It showed objective data
regarding progress being made toward school goals and Samantha used it as a
springboard for conversations. She also provided feedback through regular emails to
the staff. According to Vanessa Dinkins, “Every time there is a discussion or a
meeting, [Samantha] doesn’t need to pinpoint test scores, they are already discussed
during the Circle of Life. She allows teachers to focus on students rather than on data
that has already been discussed and never makes it her way or the highway.”
The next inquiry that the teachers responded to was in relation to the kinds of
organizational structures that the principal has put in place to ensure a safe and
efficient learning environment. This particular question received varied responses
from “having a strong relationship with the emergency committee and ensuring that
the teachers were supplied with the necessary emergency materials on the first day of
school”, as reported by Leslie Eng, to Mary Green commenting on Ms. Jones “not
allowing classroom learning time to be interrupted by phone calls or
announcements.” Many of the interviewed staff members, including Pat Sarsfield,
Mary Green and Vanessa Dinkins, commented that Samantha Jones has maintained
the Whitebriar “Big Five” which highlights five core values emphasized by the
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school. Ironically, when asked what those five values were, the teachers could not
consistently recall all five of them. Ms. Jones’s new implementation of the
Whitebriar Big Five now includes the recognition of students from each class who
have been exemplary models of the featured value for the month.
The staff was adamant in their documentation of the high level of comfort
they feel in raising concerns to the awareness of their new principal. Each respondent
indicated that Samantha has an open-door policy and is always willing to drop
whatever she is doing to talk with a staff member. “She is easy to communicate with
and it’s very comfortable talking with her about both professional and personal
issues,” provided Vanessa Dinkins. Her nature is extremely friendly and positive;
she always has a smile on her face and a reassuring, positive comment. Pat Sarsfield
stated that, “She is extremely supportive and willing to work with teachers to address
their concerns, regardless of how big or small the problem might be.”
The interviewees were then asked to address the question “Do you feel you
are included in high-stakes decision making and in what ways?” Alison Smith
responded that Samantha includes teachers because “Everything that goes on here at
the school is always taken to the leadership team first and those decisions are made
jointly.” Vanessa Dinkins felt that Ms. Jones “listens to everyone during Circle of
Life and Staff Meetings, Leadership Meetings, and if something has value to the
whole staff, then she raises the issue to the whole staff. Simply put, Pat Sarsfield
supplied that Ms. Jones “never pulls rank” and “let’s teachers take initiative.” If there
is something of value that needs to be discussed all members are included. She
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listens thoughtfully to their responses and encourages those with poor participation
to join the conversation. Many of these conversations take place during Circle of
Life meetings and Leadership Team meetings.
Analysis of the Data
Research Question One: How does working with a CLASS leadership coach
influence the leadership practices of urban school principals?
The 1) post-intervention Val-ED survey data; the 2) post-intervention
principal interview data, and the 3) post-intervention teacher interview data were
collected to answer Research Question One. Due to the confidential nature of the
work between the CLASS coach and the principal, direct observation of the principal
and the coach interacting were not possible.
Framework for Data Analysis
The role of the CLASS coach is to guide the principal in her reflections and
provide emotional support and advocacy. “The coach’s fundamental commitment is
to student success, and the coach will appropriately push the client to that end,”
(Bloom, Castagna, Frison, Villarreal-Carmen &Warren, 2006; p.23). According to
the guidelines set forth by CLASS, “there is no one single model for coaching for
any relationship or even for any one session, and the coaching strategies outlined
here are not fully distinct; they blend into one another. (Bloom, Castagna, Frison,
Villarreal-Carmen &Warren, 2006; p. 25-26).” It is inherent to the CLASS model
that the principal’s needs dictate the type of coaching strategy that the coach
implements, which could include instructional coaching, consultative coaching,
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collaborative coaching, transformational coaching or facilitative coaching.
Depending upon the situation and the principal’s needs, the coaching may blend
several techniques into any one coaching session. CLASS coaching does not dictate
the use of any kind of formal structure. Therefore, in order to assess how the
coaching has influenced the principal’s practice in response to the principal’s work
with the CLASS coach, data will be analyzed through the lens of Murphy’s Learning
Centered Leadership Theory and the concepts outlined in the CLASS “blended
coaching” model.
According to the theory of Learning-Centered Leadership Theory (Murphy,
Elliott, Goldring, and Porter, 2006), there are eight fundamental components of
effective leadership practice: 1) vision for learning, 2) instructional program, 3)
curricular program, 4) assessment program, 5) communities of learning, 6)
resources acquisition and use, 7) organizational culture, and 8) advocacy.
Recall that in the areas of High Standards for Student Learning, Quality
Instruction, Rigorous Curriculum, and Culture of Learning & Professional Behavior,
Ms. Jones’ scores were all at the proficient level, indicating that she was likely to
have positively influenced teachers in a way that added to student achievement and
social learning. Survey data from the spring (2009) administration of the Val-Ed
supports this claim. The aforementioned areas of the Val-Ed correspond respectively
with the fundamental components of Murphy’s learning centered framework with
vision for learning, instructional program, curricular program and organizational
culture.
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There is some evidence that having participated in the CLASS coaching
contributed to the principal’s ability to create a strong instructional program. In the
principal’s post interview, Samantha Jones.stated, “Coach has been trying to get me
to understand that I am not the best teacher on staff, but give opportunities for the
best teachers to provide instructions for the best teaching practices. This creates a
learning environment where all can be participants, both as teachers and students.”
This method of coaching falls under the paradigm of CLASS’s facilitative coaching.
Using this approach, the focus of the coach is to lead the coachee in conversations
that allow the coachee to “clarify his own thinking, observations and possibilities.”
(Bloom, Castagna, Frison, Villarreal-Carmen &Warren, 2006; p.48).
Through participation in CLASS coaching, Ms. Jones has been able to gain
confidence to share her own vision for learning and combine that with the school’s
vision and staff vision to create one collective vision for learning that each member
has agreed upon and works vigorously to uphold. . The CLASS strategy used to help
bring about Ms. Jones’ confidence and direction in her vision fell under the paradigm
of collaborative coaching. According to authors of the CLASS program, Bloom,
Castagna, Frison, Villarreal-Carmen &Warren state that collaborative coaching relies
upon a blending of both facilitative and instructional coaching. “The focus is upon
concrete action but the goal is the development of the knowledge, skills and internal
capacity that can be generalized to other situations.” (2006; p. 98). Ms. Jones was
able to use the confidence and knowledge she had gained to provide the staff with a
89
concrete conceptualization of her vision and an action plan for which they agree to
work toward.
Through her novel approaches to staff development, Samantha Jones has
addressed the area of creating a dynamic instructional program where staff members
possess strong content knowledge in their field and the pedagogical expertise to be
able to deliver the information to the students. In addition, this upholds the standards
of a community of learning that fosters a school culture whose foundation is built
around providing opportunities for people within the organization to grow as
professionals through professional development and activities that support
acquisition of new information. As cited by the teachers at Whitebriar Elementary,
Samantha’s continual encouragement of data collection, analysis and revisitation of
progress toward meeting school wide goals are the fundamentals of the Learning
Centered Leadership Theory’s assessment program. Ms. Jones has created an
organizational culture that places emphasis toward ongoing reflection, support, open
communication, and establishing an environment that is safe and conducive to
learning through her implementation of staff meetings, Circle of Life Meetings,
Leadership Team Meetings, WPA meetings and willingness to encourage staff
members to share their beliefs and opinions.
Findings for Research Question One
This section presents the findings relevant to research question one. Although
the data are inconclusive and further research will need to be conducted to determine
90
the degree to which working with a CLASS coach impacted the principal’s practice,
there is some evidence to suggest that participating in a coaching relationship with a
CLASS leadership coach has positively influenced the leadership practices of the
principal in this study. Given that leadership is a process (Northouse, 2003) and
change in practice takes place over time, more time will be needed for the principal
to make these practices a firm part of her daily practice. During the short, three-
month time frame for data collection during this study, the principal put into place
some learning centered leadership practices under the guidance and direction of her
CLASS coach. The CLASS coach used facilitative and collaborative coaching
strategies from the CLASS program to help foster Ms. Jones’ implementation of the
aforementioned leadership practices.
Evidence collected during this study from teacher interviews indicated that
the following occurred during the period following Ms. Jones’s participating in a
coaching program. Samantha Jones has gained the confidence needed and the ability
to share her ideas and vision for the school freely. She additionally spent a great deal
of time in classrooms looking for student engagement and teacher application of best
teaching practices. A third theme that emerged related to the principal’s concerted
efforts to get to know the staff, community and all kids at the school. Ms. Jones
created a positive culture of learning and a belief that all students are capable of
achieving at high levels. The final theme that became evident upon analysis of the
data for research question one was that Ms. Jones kept consistent and ongoing
communication with staff regarding test scores, data analysis and goal attainment
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through verbal conversations, emails, Staff Meetings, Leadership Team Meetings
and Circle of Life Meetings. These findings support demonstration of a vision for
learning, instructional program, curricular program, communities of learning and
organizational culture documented as the fundamental aspects of the Learning
Centered Leadership Theory.
Research Question Two: In what ways does the leader’s practice influence the
professional practice of teachers?
The instruments used to collect data in response to Research Question Two
were the 1) pre-intervention and post-intervention principal interview; 2) post-
intervention teacher interviews and; 3) post-intervention Val-Ed data. The tools
provided descriptive data that were used to analyze the ways in which the leader’s
practice has influenced the professional practice of teachers.
Pre-Coaching Interview with the Principal
Ms. Jones was asked to respond to the question, “In what ways do teachers
collaborate with each other?” Prior to Samantha’s appointment as principal, the
teachers were attending weekly staff meetings that may have varied from being
whole group meetings, to grade level meetings, or a training in technology.
“Teachers also plan collaboratively as well, with Tuesday afternoons as their
designated collaborations meetings with each other, principal, and literacy coach.”
These meetings are referred to as the “Circle of Life”, and one of the meeting’s
major functions is to “continually review and assess data and classroom practices”.
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This is significant given the survey results of proficient, as demonstrated by the Val-
Ed in this area.
When Samantha Jones was asked, “What are the school’s goals for student
learning this year,” she answered that “One of the goals for Whitebriar this year has
been to focus on its EL population. About 50% of the school’s student population is
currently identified as English Learners.” Ms. Jones stated that they are the subgroup
that is significantly falling behind all other subgroups. “A focus for the school this
year is Language Arts because we will not make their AYP for 2009 given their
current level of performance... we determined this goal using CST data from 2008.”
The goals will be measured using district assessments that are administered each
month. Samantha noted that once a month is not frequent enough to be receiving
student data. Therefore, “informal assessments will be used on a weekly basis as well
to help inform teachers of their student performance and be able to make alterations
to their program based on student needs. This takes place at the weekly “Circle of
Life” meetings.” Again, this is significant given her survey results.
Principal Post-Coaching Interview
ISLLC Standard #2 regards the importance of the leader ensuring a rigorous
curriculum for all students, quality instruction, and creating a culture of learning and
professional behavior for staff. “A school administrator is an educational leader who
promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a
school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff
professional growth.”
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When asked how she has supported high quality, rigorous instruction, Ms.
Jones stated that she has provided her staff with a variety of professional
development opportunities to learn new teaching strategies. Her coach has guided
her in presenting new techniques and best practices by having lead teachers guide
and instruct the rest of the staff on these new strategies. The principal stated, “My
coach has been trying to get me to understand that I do not have to be the best
teacher on staff, but it is my responsibility to get the best teachers to provide
instruction to the rest of the staff on best teaching practices. This creates a learning
environment where all staff can participate, those that are already familiar with the
technique teach it instead of being inundated with boredom, and the training is given
by a peer as opposed to a supervisor so the staff are more receptive to learning and
attempting the technique in the classroom.” Ms. Jones additionally stated that in
order to support learning opportunities for teachers, “I provide them with up-to-date
knowledge of district-wide in-services and try to secure funding to support their
training, though [the funding] has been difficult to generate.”
In order to support continuous school improvement Samantha relayed that the
school, “Analyzes assessment data on a regular bases, we create goals together and
then plan on how to reach those goals together that we continually revisit and see if
we are meeting our goals.”
Table 5. Summary of Whitebriar Principal Goals for Leadership Practices and
School Wide Goals
Leadership Practice Goals School Wide Goals
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Visit classrooms, conduct observations, provide
feedback with different perspectives
Focus on raising score of English Learners
Provide teachers with material resources,
training and support needed to effectively teach
students
Focus on Language Arts scores to ensure that
Whitebriar meets 2009 AYP
Continue “Circle of Life” weekly collaboration
meetings to continually review and assess data
of student performance and adapt teacher
practice
Making students proficient readers, writers,
speakers and integrate technology
Use informal and district assessments
consistently to provide data for analysis of
student performance
There is no school wide goal in WhiteBriar’s
Single Plan for Student Achievement that aligns
with this goal
Teacher Interviews Post-Coaching
There were a variety of responses from the interviewees when asked to
respond to the question regarding how Ms. Jones influences their teaching practice.
Pat Sarsfield stated that, “After 37 years of teaching I’m fairly set in my ways,
though I have taken some of her suggestions and incorporated them into my practice.
She reminded me to really get to know who my students are, to reflect upon the ways
that I differentiate lessons for different kinds of kids and to always check for
understanding.” Mary Green contributed that Samantha’s leadership has influenced
her teaching practice to be “more flexible with the pacing for math instruction,
basing it on student needs rather than the district’s pacing guide.” In addition, Ms.
Jones has encouraged this teacher to “supplement the everyday literacy instruction
that usually takes place using the basal reader with whole language study and
novels.” Additionally, it was noted that Vanessa Dinkins has now incorporated a new
teaching strategy that Ms. Jones had provided professional development into her
everyday teaching practices and she commented how “welcoming and risk-free
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training has become since the principal has provided new teaching strategies through
in-house teachers training teachers."
When asked about how the principal promotes the success of all students,
teacher responses included that “she is very hands on”, “always in classrooms” and
“elicits ideas from the staff about what can be done to improve student learning”.
“She is the guiding force of all meetings and discussions. Her goal is to do what’s
best for students, regardless of the costs.” She also makes the staff “aware of the
district’s expectations for testing and has kept their weekly ‘Circle of Life’ meetings
alive.” Pat supplied that, “She makes it a point to get to know all of the students’
names and their backgrounds and needs.” Vanessa Dinkins reported that, “She’s
maintained the familial, collaborative culture of the school and it’s a feeling that the
student’s pick up on. It affects the students’ motivation and their ability to learn,”
A large portion of interviewee responses were generated towards the
question: “How has your principal encouraged professional growth for the faculty?”
It was stated that she “has clear goals for the staff and meets with the leadership team
and asks for our input.” “She shares her views and asks for feedback regarding how
they feel with regard to staff needs for training.” Once a specific strategy has been
decided upon, “the leadership team and the principal work collaboratively to
determine whether the training will be given by a teacher on the leadership team or if
an outside trainer will be brought in.” Ms. Jones also “encourages teachers to attend
outside workshops and trainings by raising awareness of the opportunities and being
flexible in rearranging schedules so teachers may attend.” Vanessa Dinkins
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commented that Ms Jones “had recently provided us with an all day in-service
training where several topics were presented and teachers could choose to attend the
ones that were most valuable to their learning.” Mary Green also reported the
aforementioned staff development day and “that it was very valuable and the time
was used wisely.” However, Leslie Eng stated that, “I don’t really see her pushing
that. As a new teacher it is expected that I attend all professional learning
opportunities. I don’t see her pushing other teachers to get involved in those.”
Findings for Research Question Two
This section presents the findings relevant to research question two: “In what
ways does the leader’s practice influence the professional practice of teachers?
Although the data are inconclusive, there is some evidence from the teacher
interviews, principal interview and survey data to support the finding that the
leader’s practice has positively influenced teacher practice in multiple areas.
Additional research will need to be conducted to determine the degree to which the
principal has influenced teacher’s daily practice. One of the findings that arose from
the data to substantiate that claim was that the principal has provided a variety of
learning opportunities for all teachers through staff development led by the school’s
leadership team and by providing information and access to professional
development opportunities not tied exclusively to Whitebriar. In addition, another
theme extrapolated from the data was that the principal provided training and/or
modeling strategies for teachers to become experts in the technique, and then
utilizing these master trainers for the remaining teachers. The final theme that
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emerged was the principal’s encouragement and monitoring teacher implementation
of these techniques through formal and informal observations. The results from the
Val-ED survey indicate that she is “Proficient” in providing a Rigorous Curriculum
and ensuring Quality Instruction. As documented in the teacher interviews, she is
“constantly in classrooms, providing immediate feedback, questions for reflective
feedback and asking us how she can help support our students’ learning.”
Research Question Three: In what ways does leadership practice influence and
incorporate the values and beliefs of faculty and the community?
The instruments used in response to Research Question Three were the post
coaching principal interview protocol and the post-coaching teacher interview
protocol. Responses to questions on these tools generated descriptive data were
employed to analyze the ways in which the leader’s practice influenced and
incorporated the values and beliefs of not only the faculty but another key
stakeholder as well, the community members.
Post-Coaching Principal Interview
The ISLLC standard # 4, “A school administrator is an educational leader
who promotes the success of all students by collaborating with families and
community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and
mobilizing community resources” (ISLLC, 2009) and standard # 6, “A school
administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by
understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic,
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legal, and cultural context” (ISLLC, 2009), both complement each other, as they
relate to creating connections to the external community.
When asked to respond to the question, “How has coaching helped you to
foster collaboration with diverse families in the community?” The principal of
Whitebriar revealed that it has been difficult for her to foster collaboration with these
diverse families. “One of my struggles this year is that this community is
overwhelmingly Hispanic and there is a different SES than I am used to.” She stated
that there was significant lack of cultural diversity and that the SES at Whitebriar
was significantly lower than those she previously had experienced working with
while serving as an administrator in the Dunston Unified School District. The lack of
ethnic diversity and inability to relate to the community had presented itself as a
challenge, and the coaching she received has become an integral component in
helping her address this issue. She did not elaborate specifically on what kinds of
techniques and strategies the coach has used to help her combat this area for targeted
growth.
Ms. Jones was asked to provide information relating to the kinds of programs
that have been put in place to help connect the school to the community. The
principal admitted that, “I don’t think I’ve done anything too much with that this
year. I feel strongly that your first year you shouldn’t make too many dynamic
changes. I think [when I started] I needed to get a better sense of what was going on
and just maintain what has already been in place.” When further prompted to think
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about programs already in place that involved the external community that she has
maintained this year, she stated she has run a family literacy night and fundraisers.
ISLLC Standard # 5 highlights the role of culture in the educational setting
and steps the leader needs to take in order to foster a culture that respects cultural
diversity. The school leader at Whitebriar responded to the question, “How has
coaching helped you to build consensus?” She replied that, “If there is an idea or
something new to bring to the table, I always try to present it without being attached
to any person because then it gets too personal. I always try to bring in research to
support the ideas and have present the pros and cons. I always encourage teachers to
take part in the conversations. Then I candidly let them know how we will come to
the decision. Sometimes I have to make the decision, sometimes it’s collaborative.”
Ms. Jones stated that she has learned through both her coaching and first-hand
experiences that it is integral to share that information with the staff prior to her
introducing the idea and to let them be included in the process as much as possible.
Teacher Interviews Post-Coaching
Next, staff members were asked to respond to the question: “How are
families encouraged to be partners in their child’s education?” Many of the
interviewees regarded Samantha’s attempts to communicate with the parents by
speaking in their native language of Spanish. “She sends home flyers and newsletters
documenting upcoming programs that would benefit parents and students and keeps
them posted on school wide progress toward meeting goals.” “She has implemented
family literacy nights and has held coffee dates with parents as an opportunity for
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leader and community to get acquainted,” stated Leslie Eng. Ms. Jones has offered
“parent education classes to the community and has kept alive the Whitebriar Parent
Association (WPA), which is Whitebriar’s version of a Parent Teacher Association
(PTA).” Getting parents to attend and participate has been a historical challenge at
Whitebriar that Samantha continues to address. Once she became familiar and
friendly with many of the families through her consistent communication, she invited
and encouraged those individuals to attend the meetings. Alison Smith commented
that Ms. Jones “has certainly strengthened the Whitebriar Parent Association and
their involvement since her arrival.”
The last question asked of the teachers received the highest level of
unanimous responses. When asked, “How does your school respect and celebrate
cultural diversity?” all of the staff members stated that there was very little cultural
diversity at their site and it was not celebrated at all. Mary Green candidly stated,
“We don’t have a particular emphasis on cultural heritage unless teachers choose to
do it in their classrooms. We don’t bring in ethnic celebrations. I was kind of
surprised that the principal didn’t make a big deal about the presidential
inauguration.” Leslie Eng also supported this, commenting “if it’s done, it’s done at
a classroom level, nothing school wide. I haven’t seen that yet.”
Framework for Data Analysis
The final theoretical framework discussed in Chapter 2 was Transformational
Leadership Theory. Building the capacity of urban school leaders to reshape the
urban school culture into one that fosters increased student learning mandates
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significant change at the heart of the institution. Strong leadership must focus on
employing strategies that challenge the existing instructional practices, processes,
and attitudes embedded within the culture of the urban school context.
Transformational leadership has been documented as a means to foster progress in
school restructuring and has been shown to enhance educator commitment to the
process of institution-wide alterations (Leithwood, 1992; Leithwood & Jantzi, 1990;
Sergiovanni, 1990). Leithwood, et. al. (2000) has presented the most recent
adaptation of transformational leadership theory based upon Bass’s 1994 design. It
includes a hierarchy of leadership traits that occur using a bottom-up approach
beginning with the foundation of individualized support, and working its way up
through shared goals, vision, intellectual stimulation, culture building, rewards, high
expectations, and modeling.
Supported by the data collected from the Val-Ed survey and principal and
teacher interviews conducted in this study, the principal at Whitebriar Elementary
has given individualized support to teachers by first making concerted efforts to get
to know her staff, which was an element of leadership that was suggested by her
coach in being an area that she might want to address and direct her efforts toward.
The staff noted improvements in this area as the academic year progressed. The
principal additionally provided careful monitoring of the instructional program, and
frequently visited classrooms. She imparts immediate feedback to the teachers
regarding these observations. The evidence from the VAL ED survey, principal and
teacher interviews also indicates that Ms. Jones’s communication skills have allowed
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the school to create a vision and shared goals. The staff is intellectually stimulated
through the variety of meetings, professional development and leadership
opportunities afforded by Ms. Jones. Finally high expectations are clearly
communicated by the leader setting examples and through modeling. Culture
building and rewards, as reported from data collected during interviews with the
teachers and principal, are two areas of this framework that the leader has not
addressed in her practice as supported by teacher interviews, principal post-
intervention interviews and the survey data. This is an area Ms. Jones and her coach
may want to consider further investigating as her coaching and the academic year
continues.
Findings for Research Question Three
This section presents the findings relevant to research question three: “In
what ways does leadership practice influence and incorporate the values and beliefs
of faculty and the community? Data extrapolated from the teacher interviews and
principal post-intervention interview and survey data provide some evidence that the
leader does influence and incorporate the values and beliefs of the faculty and
community through the leader having included teacher input in the selection of
professional development topics. The data are inconclusive with regard to the degree
of influence. Additional research will need to be conducted to determine the degree
to which the principal actually incorporates the values and beliefs of faculty and
community. The principal has also included the staff in high-stakes decision-making
by bringing new ideas to them during Circle of Life Meetings, Leadership Meetings
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and Staff Meetings. Ms. Jones has encouraged all staff to participate during
discussions and is open to any new ideas and suggestions. A final theme that
emerged was that Ms. Jones has not dedicated time or efforts to the area of cultural
awareness or celebration of culture. What were your findings regarding the leader
incorporating the values and beliefs of parents and community?
Summary of Data Analysis
This concludes Chapter Four with its report and analysis of the data collected
and report of findings, as viewed through the lenses of the theoretical frameworks on
leadership practice. In Chapter Five, the key findings from the study will be analyzed
through the literature review from chapter 2, limitations of the study, implications for
policy and practice, and recommendations for further research will be presented and
discussed.
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CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The purpose of this chapter is three fold in its intention to provide a summary
of the study, a discussion of the theoretical implication of the findings, and
recommendations for future research, policy, and practice.
Purpose and Significance of the Study
Statement of the Problem
There are growing disparities in achievement across ethnic groups and
between impoverished and non-economically disadvantaged students in the areas of
Language Arts and Math. Many of these students are being educated in urban areas
with unique challenges intrinsic to the metropolitan locale that influence the social
culture of the educational setting (The National Commission on Excellence In
Education, 1983). Many urban educational leaders have not been properly equipped
to tackle these challenges (Darling-Hammond, 2002). Consequently, if they have
received adequate training on how to combat issues of social culture in urban
institutions, there have been few structures implemented that serve to support the
leader in his or her quest to reshape urban culture into one that fosters a belief that all
students can learn at high levels, regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic
background (Montero-Sieberth, 1989; Howey, 1999).
Significance of the Study
As a result of this study, principals, superintendents, policy-makers, creators
of leadership development programs and researchers will gain insight into the
specific structures needed to support educational leaders so that they have the
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potential to positively influence the social culture of an educational institutional and
improve student learning outcomes. There is significant value to the principal
involved in the study and the faculty and students with whom she interacts through
the availability of data used to describe leadership practice and the school’s social
culture.
Research Questions
Overarching Question - How does participation in a principal leadership
support structure influence the practices of urban administrators?
The following questions were examined under the umbrella of the
overarching question stated above:
1. How does working with a CLASS leadership coach influence the
leadership practices of urban school principals?
2. In what ways does the leader’s practice influence the professional
practice of teachers?
3. In what ways does leadership practice influence and incorporate the
values and beliefs of faculty and the community?
Methodology
Participants and Setting
Participants - The principal participant, Samantha Jones was principal in an
urban elementary school. Her school was identified because of its urban school
characteristics which included: significant numbers of students from poverty,
disproportionately high numbers of ethnic minority students; and an achievement
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gap between ethnic minorities and their Caucasian and Asian student counterparts.
Characteristics of the principal aligned with the purpose and goals of the study in
that she met the following criteria:
1. The principal must be serving in the first two years of his or her
administration at the site.
2. The leader must be receiving “blended coaching support” from a CLASS
trained coach.
3. The leader must work in a setting with urban characteristics; these may
include high minority populations, low SES, low student achievement, or
a gap in achievement among student groups.
4. There is a significant, persistent achievement gap in the percent proficient
between student groups (ethnic minority students and economically
disadvantaged students) when compared to their white and Asian student
counterparts and economically advantaged peers.
Data Collection and Analysis
This study investigated the impact of working with a CLASS Coach on the
development of leadership capacity of the principal at Whitebriar Elementary.
Although in her fifth year of administration, this was the principal’s first year in
Dunston Unified School District and at Whitebriar Elementary. Data for this mixed
methods case study were gathered from interviews with the principal and teachers, in
addition to results generated from the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in
Education (VAL-ED) survey. Following the transcription, the data were purposefully
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coded by the researcher to identify recurring themes throughout the various
interviews using Creswell’s (2003) six step analysis procedure as a guideline.
Triangulation
Patton (2002) notes that using multiple methods for data collection
strengthens the validity of research intrinsic to the ability to provide opportunities for
cross-examination of the data. This process is known as methodological
triangulation and it was utilized in this study for the purpose of incorporating both
the quantitative and qualitative data. The implementation of triangulation allowed for
enhanced data analysis as well as increased internal validity.
Instrumentation and Procedures
Survey – The Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (Val-ED).
The quantitative tool for measuring principal practice after the CLASS
coaching intervention (post-test) was the VAL-ED. The VAL-ED is grounded in the
learning centered leadership theory. The principal and her teachers participated in the
spring (2009) survey administration.
Participants were asked to take the online version of the Val-Ed twice during
the course of this study; once in of the fall (2008) prior to the principal having
participated in CLASS coaching, and then again in the spring (2009) after the leader
had participated in three months of coaching. Due to the lack of responses from both
the principal and teachers for the fall (2009) administration of the survey, the results
were not valid and could not be used for analysis.
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Summary of the Findings
Research Question One: “How does working with a CLASS leadership coach
influence the leadership practices of urban school principals?”
In response to Research Question 1, there is some evidence to indicate that
having participated in CLASS leadership coaching positively influenced the
leadership practices of the principal in this study. The data are inconclusive with
regards to the degree of influence the CLASS coaching had on the leader’s practice.
Additional research will need to be conducted.
The data collected for this study suggest that the following occurred as a
result of Ms. Jones’s participating in a coaching program: 1) Through reflective
coaching strategies, the coach has guided Ms. Jones in ways that have helped her
gain the confidence and the ability to share her ideas and vision for the school freely;
2) Ms. Jones dedicated a great deal of time in classrooms looking for student
engagement and teacher application of best teaching practices; 3) The administrator
made concerted efforts to get to know the staff, community and all kids at the school;
4) She created a positive culture of learning and a belief that all students are capable
of achieving at high levels; 5) Ms. Jones has kept consistent and ongoing
communication with staff regarding test scores, data analysis and goal attainment
through verbal conversations, emails, Staff Meetings, Leadership Team Meetings
and Circle of Life Meetings.
There are eight fundamental components of an effective leadership practice,
according to the Learning-Centered Leadership Theory: 1) vision for learning, 2)
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instructional program, 3) curricular program, 4) assessment program, 5)
communities of learning, 6) resources acquisition and use, 7) organizational culture,
and 8) advocacy (Murphy, Elliott, Goldring, and Porter, 2006).
Through coaching, Ms. Jones has been able to gain confidence to share her
own vision for learning and combine that with the school’s vision and staff vision to
create one collective vision for learning that each member has agreed upon and
works vigorously to uphold. Coach MacDonald has guided Samantha Jones in her
novel approaches to staff development by offering her suggestions that she train the
teachers to become masters in an area of focus, and then allow these masters to
instruct their peers on the strategy. This addressed the area of creating a dynamic
instructional program where staff members possess strong content knowledge in
their field and the pedagogical expertise to be able to deliver the information to the
students, while simultaneously upholding the standards of a community of learning
that fosters a school culture whose foundation is built around providing opportunities
for people within the organization to grow as professionals through professional
development and activities that support acquisition of new information.
Ms. MacDonald has reminded Ms. Jones during many of their sessions that
the focus of being a strong leader is to ultimately impact student achievement, and
that student achievement needs to be monitored regularly. Ms. Jones has
incorporated this advice to continually encourage collection of data, analysis and
revisiting of progress toward meeting school wide goals are the fundamentals of the
Learning Centered Leadership Theory’s assessment program. Ms Jones created an
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organizational culture that places emphasis toward ongoing reflection, support, open
communication, and establishing an environment that is safe and conducive to
learning through her implementation of staff meetings, Circle of Life Meetings,
Leadership Team Meetings, WPA meetings and willingness to encourage staff
members to share their beliefs and opinions.
Research Question 2 “In what ways does the leader’s practice influence the
professional practice of teachers?”
There is some evidence that the leader has influenced teacher practice.
However, the data are inconclusive with regards to the degree of influence the
leader’s practice has had on teacher practice. Further research will need to be
conducted. The following themes arose from an analysis of the data: 1) The principal
provides a variety of learning opportunities for staff members; 2) The leader trained
teachers to become experts in the technique and then had them become a master
trainer of the remaining teachers and; 3) She encouraged and monitored teacher
usage of these techniques through formal and informal observations and; 4) She
provided immediate, detailed feedback regarding teacher observations and practice.
Hallinger’s (2002) Instructional Leadership Theory framework contends that
an instructional leader displays a combination of 1) expertise and charisma; 2)
focuses goals on improvements in student outcomes, and 3) cultivates a culture that
is conducive to high standards and expectations for both staff and students. Under
this paradigm, three behaviors emerge as being integral to the success of the
instructional leader and include his or her ability to, define the school’s mission,
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manage the instructional program and, promote a positive school-learning climate.
It is evident based on the findings collected from the teacher and principal interviews
that Ms. Jones was able to define the school’s mission through her clear and
consistent communication with staff members, encouragement of parent participation
and ability to include the values of key stakeholders into decision-making. She
created a collaborative mission and vision for the school. Additionally, Samantha
managed the instructional program through her unwavering dedication to conducting
observations, providing consistent, positive and reflective feedback to teachers
regarding their instructional practices, getting to know all students, learning about at-
risk students’ needs, and providing teachers with a multitude of professional learning
opportunities. Promoting a positive school climate encompasses five functions 1)
maintaining high visibility, 2) providing incentives for teachers, 3) providing
incentives for students, 4) protecting instructional time, and 5) promoting
professional development. Ms Jones her ability to maintain high visibility, protect
instructional time, and promote professional development.
Research Question 3 “In what ways does leadership practice influence and
incorporate the values and beliefs of faculty and the community?”
There is some evidence from an analysis of the data collected for this
question to support the notion that the leader does influence and incorporate the
values and beliefs of the faculty and community. However, the data are inconclusive
as to the degree of influence and incorporation of the values and beliefs of faculty
and community. Further research will need to be conducted. The data indicated that:
112
1) the principal included teacher input in the selection of professional development
topics; 2) the principal included the staff in high-stakes decision-making by bringing
new ideas to them during Circle of Life Meetings, Leadership Meetings and Staff
Meetings; 3) she encouraged all staff to participate during discussions and was open
to any new ideas and suggestions; 4) maintained the WPA program by getting to
know parents and community members and encouraging them to attend meetings
and; 5) Ms. Jones facilitated BPA meetings so that parents could learn about the
programs taking place in the school and were able contribute their values, ideas and
opinion on how to improve the school.
Building the capacity of urban school leaders to reshape the urban school
culture into one that fosters increased student learning mandates significant change at
the heart of the institution. Strong leadership must focus on employing strategies that
challenge the existing instructional practices, processes, and attitudes embedded
within the culture of the urban school context. Transformational leadership has been
documented as a means to foster progress in school restructuring and has been shown
to enhance educator commitment to the process of institution-wide alterations
(Leithwood, 1992; Leithwood & Jantzi, 1990; Sergiovanni, 1990). Leithwood, et. al.
(2000) has presented the most recent adaptation of transformational leadership
theory based upon Bass’s 1994 design. It includes a hierarchy of leadership traits that
occur using a bottom-up approach beginning with the foundation of individualized
support, and working its way up through shared goals, vision, intellectual
stimulation, culture building, rewards, high expectations, and modeling.
113
Supported by the data collected from this study, the principal at Whitebriar
Elementary has given individualized support to teachers by first making concerted
efforts to get to know her staff, which was an element of leadership that was
suggested by her coach in being an area that she might want to address and direct her
efforts toward. The staff noted improvements in this area as the academic year
progressed. The principal additionally provided careful monitoring of the
instructional program, and frequently visited classrooms. She imparted immediate
feedback to the teachers regarding these observations. The evidence also indicated
that Ms. Jones’s communication skills have allowed the school to create a vision and
shared goals. The staff is intellectually stimulated through the variety of meetings,
professional development and leadership opportunities afforded by Ms. Jones.
Finally, high expectations are clearly communicated by the leader setting examples
and through modeling. Culture building and rewards are two areas of this framework
that the leader has not addressed in her practice and may want to consider further
investigating as her coaching and the academic year continues.
Stacey, how does the discussion of transformational leadership help to
provide a critical analysis of the data for RQ 3? Make the connection more explicit.
Limitations (Internal and External Validity)
Caution should be exercised in the generalization of the results of this
purposeful study. Although great care was taken in conducting this study to
maximize to the fullest and triangulate the data collected from this information rich
case, the results cannot be generalized beyond this school.
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There is a strong need for more data to have been collected during this study.
Due to the principal’s failure to take the Val-Ed survey in the fall (2008) prior to
engaging in the CLASS coaching relationship, the data for the Val-Ed survey was
unable to be used in a pre-post design, as the study was originally intended. In future
studies, should difficulties with data collection occur, it is recommended that the
researcher adjust for these deficits. This study could have been strengthened in
several ways, despite the interruption of data collection. One method would have
been to conduct in-depth interviews with teachers prior to the coaching, so that the
information collected from the pre-interviews with teachers could be compared and
analyzed with that from the post-interviews, coding for common themes and
improvements that teachers have noted. Another way to strengthen the design of this
study would have been to conduct a cross-case analysis of principals using data
collected from multiple sites. In which case, each principal would have undergone
the same treatment, and the data from each school could be compared with the
intention of identifying recurring themes from all schools. This would have increased
both the internal and external validity of the study.
Internal Validity
Due to the short duration of this study, limited funding, and inability to
access the coach, observations were not incorporated into this study. Observations
would have strengthened the internal validity of the study to be used in triangulation
for the purpose of analyzing recurring themes. Additionally, the coach was
unavailable to be interviewed or to participate in the Val-ED. Low participation in
115
both the Val-ED and interviews also threatened the internal validity of this study.
There were four participants in the initial Val-ED assessment taken in the fall (2008).
It was necessary to offer a $25 cash raffle in which four participants were selected as
winners to garner the support necessary to have enough participants to obtain more
valid results during the post-administration. In order to gain subjects for teacher
interviews, teachers volunteered rather than being purposefully selected. This too
decreases the validity of the study in relation to the participants’ reasons for wanting
to be interviewed and the underlying motivation to participate in the Val-ED. Some
subjects may have been more interested in simply completing the survey and the
chance to win $25, rather than their contribution to necessary research in the area of
leadership coaching.
External Validity
Prior to the beginning of this study, it was noted that there was a limitation
inherent to the nature of CLASS training. This was in relation to the knowledge and
skills of the CLASS coach. Each coach received the same training and was offered a
network of other coaches to interact with and gain support from, in addition to
continued professional development to hone their coaching skills.
Implications for Practice and Policy
Based on an analysis of the data for this study, there is some evidence that 1)
having worked with a CLASS coach for three months had a positive effect on the
principal’s enactment of effective leadership practices; 2) that working with a
CLASS coach has a positive influence on the leader’s ability to affect teaching
116
practice, and 3) that working with a CLASS coach has enabled the principal to
further incorporate the values and beliefs of the faculty and community into high-
stakes decision making processes. Again, the data are inconclusive for each of these
findings. Further research will need to be conducted.
With regard to the leadership practices, Research Question Three related to
how the principal influenced and incorporated the values and beliefs of the
community. There is a gap in the literature addressing the role that organizational
culture plays in shaping leadership practice (Hallinger, Bickman and Davis, 1996;
Schein, 1996). Additional studies are needed to gain an understanding within the
research community of the factors that cause an organization to create a prevailing
culture, and the institutionalized systems that dictate the operations, incentives and
controls that are found embedded within the organization (Schein, 1996). One way to
incorporate this into a future study is to include a questionnaire for community
members to fill out relating to the leader’s practice and changes observed since he or
she began the coaching program.
Based on the findings of this study and the recurring themes that emerged in
the analysis of the data, there is a recommendation for Ms. Jones to take into
consideration in relation to her leadership practice. One area that the coaching
program failed to show a positive influence on was the leader’s ability to recognize,
celebrate or acknowledge cultural diversity within the school context. This finding is
supported by an analysis of data collected from the teacher and principal interviews.
There is a great degree of diversity among the surrounding communities of different
117
institutions with regard to local businesses, neighborhood safety, diverse ethnic
populations, affordable housing, quality of home life and the community’s
socioeconomic status, all which play a pivotal role in shaping a school’s values.
These values and differential beliefs will both shape the school’s social culture as the
students are products of the environment in which they live. External variables are
inevitably brought into the institution and thus become part of the culture of the
school (Deal & Peterson, 1990, 1999; Hallinger and Leithwood, 1998). By
celebrating these differences and exposing all cultures to each other allows the leader
to create a shared school culture where all ethnicities feel valuable and show pride
for their background. Several suggestions to incorporate this notion into everyday
practice may include a monthly potluck dinner where families each prepare an ethnic
dish and share it with other families in the school. An additional suggestion would be
to celebrate a different culture represented by the school’s population where teachers
are encouraged to teach about the customs and traditions of the ethnicity being
honored that month. The principal’s need to address this area should be targeted as
an area for growth. As stated by the principal, she has not seen this as an area most in
need of improvement, has not brought concerns regarding this topic to her coach, and
has therefore not been coached in this area. Based on an analysis of the data, the area
of cultural awareness and sensitivity needs to be further examined during coaching
sessions in order to help assist the leader in further developing this skill.
118
Implications for Future Research
“To understand fully the complexities of many situations, direct participation
in and observation of the phenomenon of interest may be the best research method”
(Patton, 2002; p. 21). Observations permit the researcher to fully understand the
treatment or intervention they are evaluating. Due to the short duration of this study,
lack of funding and inability to access the coach, observations were not incorporated
into this study. A one time shadowing of the principal at Whitebriar would not have
been beneficial in documenting change in the leader’s practice without any other
observational data to compare it to over time. Therefore, it is recommended that in
future studies, the researcher participate in several observations throughout the
duration of the study, both during the coaching sessions and while the principal is
engaged in everyday application of his or her skills at the school site.
There are several recommendations for future research that is needed to
strengthen the findings of the study and provide more support in the identification of
the positive relationship between coaching and the influence it has on a principal’s
leadership practice. Subsequently, this section will discuss the recommendations for
the leader’s practice.
There is a need for additional studies that examine the effects of coaching on
an urban principal’s leadership practice in addition to an extension of the length of
time the study is conducted. All of the teachers who were interviewed in this study
unanimously agreed that three months of coaching and administration at their school
site was not long enough for them to determine the impact that the coaching had on
119
the leader’s practice. A two year, longitudinal study of the leader at the same school
site is suggested in order to fully impact the results of this study.
Another recommendation for future research is to obtain data from the
principal’s coach. The coach was unattainable during the course of this study and
was therefore not utilized. However, it would be highly beneficial to collect
descriptive data from the coach documenting changes that he or she has observed
relating to the leader’s practice, in addition to common areas of concern that the
leader continually addresses in coaching sessions, checking for alignment with
quantitative data from the Val-ED and feedback from staff members. How would
this impact the coach/protégé relationship? What would this do to the confidential
nature of their work? How would it impact the trust so necessary to this support
structure?
Conclusion
The extant literature demonstrates growing disparities in achievement across
ethnic groups and between impoverished and non-economically disadvantaged
students in the areas of Language Arts and Math (Montero-Sieberth, 1989; Howey,
1999). Even when principals have received adequate training on how to combat the
affect of social culture in urban institutions on student achievement and performance,
there are few structures implemented that serve to support the leader in his or her
quest to reshape urban culture into one that fosters a belief that all students can learn
at high levels, regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic background. This study has
been able to contribute to the knowledge base regarding the effects of coaching on
120
principal practice but it merely scratches the surface in addressing the need for
continued examination of the effects of utilizing a coach to assist principals in their
everyday interactions with students, teachers, and community members. With further
research enlightening policy makers and school administrators on how to best
support a leader in dealing with these issues, we may see great improvements in
principal leadership practices and achieve the ultimate goal of closing the
achievement gap.
121
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127
APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW PROTOCOLS
Protocols for Initial Principal Interview
October, 2008
1. How many years have you been in administration?
2. How long have you been in the district and at this site?
• Prompt – where were you before that?
3. Please describe the schools’ mission and vision?
4. How do you plan to influence teacher practice?
5. In what ways do teachers collaborate with each other?
6. What are the school’s goals for student learning this year?
• Prompt – How many are ELD?
7. How did you determine those goals?
8. How do you plan to measure the goals?
9. What are your expectations for the coaching experience?
• Prompt – What do you expect the relationship with your coach to be like?
10. What kind of coaching are you going to be receiving?
11. What is her role in the district?
128
Principal Post Interview Protocol – Samantha Jones
January 25, 2009
ISLLC #1 & VAL-ED – High Standards for Student Learning
1. What do you know and believe promote the success of all students?
• What is the schools’ vision and how is it communicated?
• In what ways have you communicate high expectations?
• How have you ensured continuous school improvement?
• Prompt – how did the coach help you with conducting classroom
visitations and providing feedback?
ISLLC #2 & VAL-ED Rigorous Curriculum, Quality Instruction, Culture of
Learning & Professional Behavior
2. How have you promoted a school culture that facilitates growth for students
and faculty?
• How do have you supported high quality, rigorous instruction?
• What teaching strategies have you seen your staff incorporate into daily
lessons?
• How are learning opportunities for teachers supported?
ISLLC #3 – VAL-ED Culture
3. What are the organizational structures at your site that coaching has helped
you to promote a safe and efficient learning environment?
• How has coaching helped you to create a collaborative school culture that
fosters the belief that all children can learn?
ISLLC #4/6 & VAL-ED Connections to the External Community
4. How has coaching helped you to foster collaboration with diverse families in
the community?.
129
What are some programs you’ve put in place this year to help you reach out
to those families?
ISLLC #5 & VAL-ED Culture
5. How do you promote a school culture that respects diversity?
• How has coaching helped you to build consensus?
• How is the school culture monitored?
• How has the students’ voice been used to shape the school’s culture?
ISLLC #5 & VAL-ED Performance Accountability
6. What organizational structures have you incorporated that ensure student
success?
• How is data used?
• What programs are in place to support students that are not meeting
identified state standards?
• Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Teacher Post-Interview Protocol
January 2009
(Questions are created in alignment with the knowledge and dispositions of the
ISLLC standards as defined by the New Teacher Center at University of California
Santa Cruz)
General Questions:
• How long have you been teaching?
• How do you think the coaching has influenced the principal’s practice?
• How has it impacted your teaching?
130
• One of Jenny’s goals is to influence teaching by becoming “Part of the team”.
Would you consider her part of the team and what does she do as a team
member?
ISLLC #1 & VAL-ED – High Standards for Student Learning
1. What has the principal done to promote the success of all students?
• How has the principal communicated the school’s vision?
• What are some of the high expectations that your principal has
communicated to you and faculty? (experience)
• How does your principal ensure continuous school improvement?
(experience question)
• How does your principal provide feedback with regard to meeting school
goals?
ISLLC #2 & VAL-ED Rigorous Curriculum, Quality Instruction, Culture of
Learning & Professional Behavior
2. How has your principal encouraged growth for students? How has your
principal encouraged professional growth for faculty?
• How have you been supported in providing high quality, rigorous
instruction?
• What new teaching strategies have you incorporated into daily lessons?
• What kinds of learning opportunities have you been provided with?
ISLLC #3 – VAL-ED Culture of Learning and Professional Behavior
3. What are the organizational structures that your principal has in place that
promote a safe and efficient learning environment?
• How do you bring concerns in this area to your school leader?
• Do you feel you are included in high stakes decision-making and in what
ways?
ISLLC #4 & VAL-ED Connections to the External Community
131
4. In what ways are families and the community incorporated into the decision-
making to ensure student success?
• How are families encouraged to be partners in their child’s education?
ISLLC #5 & VAL-ED Culture
5. Does the school culture respect diversity?
• In what ways?
• How does your leader resolve conflicts surrounding diversity?
• How is diversity celebrated at your school?
Is there anything else that you would like add?
132
APPENDIX B: POST-COACHING SCORES
Post-Coaching Summary of Core Component Scores
Mean
Performance
Level
Percentile
Rank
High Standards for Student Learning 3.92 Proficient 73.8
Rigorous Curriculum 3.98 Proficient 85.7
Quality Instruction 3.85 Proficient 68.4
Culture of Learning & Professional
Behavior
3.81 Proficient 55.1
Connections to External Communities 3.38 Basic 39.2
Performance Accountability 3.22 Below Basic 23.7
Post-Coaching Summary of Key Processes Scores
Mean Performance Level Percentile Rank
Planning 3.55 Basic 48.8
Implementing 3.58 Basic 48.3
Supporting 3.81 Proficient 61.1
Advocating 3.65 Proficient 60.6
Communicating 3.92 Proficient 78.9
Monitoring 3.81 Proficient 74.3
133
Post-Coaching Summary Results for the Intersection of the Core Components
and Key Processes
Key Processes
Core components
Planning
Implementing
Supporting
Advocating
Communicating
Monitoring
High Standards for Learning P B P B P P
Rigorous Curriculum P P P P P P
Quality Instruction P B B P P P
Culture of Learning and Professional Behavior B P P P P P
Connections to External Communities B B B B B BB
Performance Accountability BB B B B BB BB
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
This study examined the impact of working with a CLASS coach on an urban school principal's learning centered leadership practice. This mixed-methods case study investigated the following three questions: 1) How does working with a CLASS leadership coach influence leadership practices of urban school principals? 2) In what ways does the leadership practice influence the professional practice of teachers? 3) In what ways does leadership practice influence and incorporate the values of the faculty and community?
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Badawi, Stacey
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The effects of coaching on building and sustaining effective leadership practice of an urban school administrator
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Rossier School of Education
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Publication Date
07/26/2009
Defense Date
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