Sustainability of a comprehensive school reform model from the perspectives of three participating principals

School reform is a deliberate process that requires a strong commitment at all levels. The school leader plays a crucial role in establishing a vision and nurturing an environment that facilitates reform efforts. School reform efforts have witnessed a change in the role of the elementary principal from manager to instructional leader. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the role of the elementary principal in sustaining school reform, in the form of Literacy Collaborative. The study was guided by one research question: how did elementary principals sustain a comprehensive school reform effort in the form of Literacy Collaborative? The study purposively sampled three elementary school principals in a northwest Georgia school district who served as principals from the implementation of the Literacy Collaborative initiative to the time of the study, a ten-year period. The development of individual case studies utilized multiple data sources including face-to-face interviews and archival documents such as literacy team minutes, school evaluation plans, and Literacy Collaborative Fidelity of Implementation documents. The data were analyzed using a constant comparative method both within the three cases and between the cases to determine what themes emerged. The analysis revealed that the comprehensive school reform model, Literacy Collaborative, was a top-down, mandated initiative that allowed the principal and staff at these three schools to “buy-in” to the program. The data suggested that Literacy Collaborative provided a framework that allowed each participant to utilize those aspects they deemed critical in leading a school as well as allowing them to closely align the program with his/her leadership styles. The Literacy Collaborative comprehensive whole school reform model, developed by Dr. Irene C. Fountas and Dr. Gay Su Pinnell, encompassed components identified by innovative change leaders to be critical in any reform effort, specifically school leadership. Implications of the research suggested that leaders attempting to sustain whole school reform efforts must: align their leadership styles with a school reform model, employ clear communication, ensure learning occurs at all levels, engage collaborative teams in collective decision making and problem solving, allocate resources, and adapt to change.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Browning, BethAnn S.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Freeman, John A.
• Petzko, Vicki N.; Hinsdale, Bernard; Johnson, Donna G.
• College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies

• School improvement programs
• Literacy -- Study and teaching
• Educational leadership
• Academic achievement -- Evaluation

Licence

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/141

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1276