Browsing by Subject "Bolman and Deal"

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Case study of the practices positively impacting culture and sustained student academic achievement on an elementary campus
(2023-04-12) Price, Jeffrey Randolph; Cantu, Norma V., 1954-; Olivárez, Rubén; Cruz, Paul; Breidenstein, Angela
The purpose of this case study was to examine the practices and culture applied on an elementary campus as part of an academic turnaround that was sustained for at least one consecutive academic year. The Effective Schools Framework used in Texas to improve the campus academically and the four frames of leadership concepts were applied as an integrated conceptual framework for examining how the case study’s principal sustained the academic improvement beyond the first year of turnaround. There were three research questions: (a) What practices and culture are applied on an elementary campus as part of academic turnaround by the school principal? (b) What practices and culture are applied on an elementary campus as part of academic turnaround by the teachers, particularly by the teachers of the tested subjects? (c) What practices and culture are applied on an elementary campus as part of academic turnaround to build turnaround sustainability? The case focused on one urban elementary school with a diverse student population that underperformed on standardized academic performance measures. The elementary campus improved from a D state accountability rating and sustained a C rating for 2 consecutive rating years. The principal and the participating teachers of the one-on-one interviews had been working at the school with the principal during the first turnaround years and sustained their employment on campus. The principal participated in two interviews. Five teachers of STAAR testing grade levels and whose students took the STAAR test during the turnaround year were interviewed individually. Teachers of any grade during the turnaround or sustained academic years participated in a focus group. Data were analyzed using NVivo software and the following themes emerged: (a) principal set expectations and goals; (b) principal created specific planning structures; (c) strategic staffing by the principal; (d) structured planning process within professional learning communities (PLC); (e) collaborative work beyond the PLC structure; (f) flexible grouping among classrooms and grade levels; (g) consistency of staff, expectations, and campus systems; (h) fear of backsliding on academic progress; and (i) reflective planning.
The role of the superintendent in implementing districtwide teacher salary reform
(2018-06-21) Dang, Michael Tuan Khang; Olivárez, Rubén; Cantu, Norma; Jabbar, Huriya; Parker, Bobby
With the need for greater understanding of the role of the superintendent in teacher salary reform, the qualitative study to explore the phenomenon of implementing districtwide teacher salary reform with superintendents of public schools in Texas was conducted. This study proposes to examine the role of the superintendent in teacher salary reform in Texas. It analyzes the perceptions of current of former superintendents in “first mover” districts with substantial experience involved in the implementation of a districtwide strategic teacher salary plan. This study illuminated superintendents’ considerations and priorities during the implementation process as well as their reflections of the strengths and weaknesses of the resulting strategic teacher compensation plan. This qualitative phenomenological study answered the following questions: (a) What considerations are presented by superintendents in the development and implementation of a districtwide strategic teacher compensation plan? (b) What priorities are given by superintendents related to considerations in the development and implementation of a districtwide strategic teacher compensation plan? (c) What differences and commonalities are expressed by superintendents in comparable school districts regarding considerations and priorities? The phenomenological interview approach was used with a sample of three superintendents of current and former superintendents in districts that implemented a districtwide strategic teacher compensation plan. The three one-on-one interview participants were superintendents of Texas first mover school districts that implemented a districtwide strategic teacher compensation plan. Each one-on-one interview was conducted in person and lasted about 60 to 90 minutes. The interviews were recorded and transcribed through Rev.com. The interview data yielded the following five themes about implementing a strategic compensations plan: (a) superintendents need to know the local context; (b) compensation needs to be linked to what the district values; (c) a school district cannot afford to reward high performing teachers if they carry the financial burden of low performing teachers; (d) if you have accountability without support, you have a climate of fear. The findings supported the applicability of Bolman and Deal’s framework and Olivarez’s 10 functions of school districts to charter schools. Advocacy and education about leadership models is needed, and additional research for understanding the roles other stakeholders, such as principals, play in the implementation of teacher salary reform.
Variables influencing the successful passage of school bond referenda as identified by selected stakeholders in Texas
(2018-06-18) Heitzman, Shirley Marie; Olivárez, Rubén; Cantu, Norma V.; Hickey, Wesley; Sharpe, Edwin R.
School districts that successfully pass a school bond election after a failed bond election offer a unique opportunity to investigate variables involved in both the failure and subsequent successful passage of a bond referenda (Hickey, 2006). This in-depth qualitative case study of a representative school district that experienced success after a prior failure was used to develop a greater understanding of the variables associated with overcoming negative sentiment toward school bond passage, as well as update, enhance, elaborate, and clarify previous quantitative and qualitative work in the field. This study examined the participants’ views to establish what the variables were that affected the outcome of bond elections that “statistical analysis alone cannot capture” (Bowers et al., 2010, p. 417). This qualitative study answered three questions: (a) What variables contributed to the failure of a school bond election? (b) What variables contributed to the success of a school bond election? (c) What relationships existed among these variables with regard to selected characteristics of a school district? The overarching research paradigm was a qualitative single-case study in which artifacts and interviews were the primary data analyzed. This study investigated one representative district in Texas that had a successful bond election after prior failure, using a purposive, theoretical sampling technique from the subset of districts who failed and then passed a subsequent bond referenda between May 2013 and May 2017 in Texas using bond data from the Texas Comptroller’s Office. The findings revealed that the school district leaders and the school bond referendum election process must be responsive to changing community environments and voter preferences. Key strategies that were used in successfully passing a school bond referendum included: an extensive pre-bond needs assessment process; securing strong consulting expertise to support a comprehensive school bond election planning process; mapping the political environment and involving key community influencers; a focus on effective leadership recruitment and development of parent and community leaders; substantive input and involvement from a representative group of stakeholders throughout the process, especially parents and campus staff; a clear, appealing bond proposal; and acknowledgement and recognition of losses caused by the change process. The study contributed new knowledge to the body of research on successful school bond referenda. This study also offered new insights into key strategies that enable leaders in public school districts and communities to be able to succeed in school bond referendum elections in the future.