The purpose of this quantitative, predictive correlational study was to examine if a predictive relationship existed between teachers' sense of efficacy and the dimensions of instructional leadership considered both collectively and individually, among K-12 teachers in North Carolina. The Instructional Leadership Model and Tschannen-Moran and…

Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEAs) have grown in popularity over the past decade due to the Race to the Top -- Early Learning Challenge Grant offered by the U.S. Department of Education in 2015. This study addresses kindergarten teachers' perceptions of data from North Carolina's school readiness assessment and their perceptions of what…

Principals' instructional leadership has been the focus of research for decades. Research shows that principals' impact on student achievement is second only to teachers (Grissom et al., 2021; Herman et al., 2017). Student literacy achievement concerns that continue trending nationwide, and specifically in North Carolina, indicate the need for…

Research has been conducted on instructional leadership and the importance of instructional leadership, yet minimal research has been conducted on instructional leadership training models and principal perceptions on the impact of instructional leadership training on low performing schools. The problem addressed in this study was the current…

The study aimed to build the capacity of assistant principals to identify and support teachers in using equitable classroom practices. The Participatory Action Research (PAR) study in a rural North Carolina school district included a team of the principal and two assistant principals as co-practitioner researchers (CPR) to study how the principal…

The significance of this study was its ability to further inform district and state level leaders and policy makers on the supports of the advancement and service of North Carolina's Latinx educators in school leadership roles. More specifically, this study shed light on the barriers and supports faced by Latinx public school administrators in…

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, private schools in the United States have reported unusually high numbers of applications from public school parents. School administrators have been required to manage the redesign of the school environment to ensure the safety of students without compromising student learning. Yet, it was unknown how…

This narrative qualitative research study delved into the perspectives of Black teachers regarding the accessibility of school leadership and the barriers encountered by school leaders during their transition into school leadership roles. Its objective was to highlight the underrepresentation of Black educators, particularly Black administrators.…

Schools experience a plethora of crises from pandemics, school shootings, weather-related traumas, and mass migrations that require school leaders to create solutions to support students and their families. Researchers have explored school leaders' responses to crises but have yet to explore how principals generally and Black women specifically…

This dissertation explores the issue of minority underrepresentation in K-12 educational leadership roles, examining its perceived causes and implications within academic settings. The research utilized a qualitative approach involving detailed surveys and interviews with school administrators from K-12 schools in Western North Carolina, Upstate…

This study focused on the impact of principal leadership strategies on student achievement in three academically challenged rural schools in Northeastern North Carolina. The problem is that some rural schools still struggle to increase student achievement in spite of the availability of leadership strategies that lead to improved academic…

Teacher retention is a continuous concern for school districts across North Carolina and throughout America. In high minority, high poverty schools there can be as much as a yearly 50% turnover rate. Having a school culture that is appealing to highly qualified teachers and supportive of effective teachers may be one key in resolving the teacher…

A foundational goal of education is to create a citizenry capable of making well-informed decisions for themselves. Over recent decades in the United States, accountability models have been enacted that hold teachers and educational leaders responsible for student outcomes. Selected Literature seems to suggest that these accountability measures…

We use data from the applications North Carolina public school districts and charter schools submitted for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) to investigate the sense that educational leaders made of the pandemic as it unfolded. LEAs understood the pandemic as a multifaceted problem. Nearly all applications addressed four…

The educational system requires a conducive environment that fosters growth and ensuring that the school's mission is clearly defined, along with managing instructional program, and developing school climate and learning. The problem addressed in the study was that although past research suggests instructional leadership can influence teachers and…