The path to becoming a school principal is characterized by a variety of trajectories that reflect the diverse experiences and backgrounds of aspiring leaders. While ideally the road to the principalship would result in a proportional and representative body of principals, research has shown this is rarely the case. To gain a better understanding…

Schools are dynamic environments surrounded by static brick and mortar. Schools are a complex entanglement of systems clinging to normalcy led and composed of individuals seeking growth and progress. There is constant turnover as students move through the systems, gaining mastery, seeking support, and receiving guidance. Employees similarly move…

As administrators start to hire more alternative certified teachers in Texas who pursue a career in K-12 education, it becomes important to understand the impact this experience has on teacher quality. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore administrators' beliefs and experiences when hiring alternative certified…

"Sacred Mission: A Study of Hiring for Mission in Catholic Schools via Self-Described Hiring Practices of Administrators" is a doctoral problem-based learning project examining the value of hiring for mission through a study of Catholic school administrators' self-described hiring practices and the correspondence between these…

"Sacred Mission: A Study of Hiring for Mission in Catholic Schools via Self-Described Hiring Practices of Administrators" is a doctoral problem-based learning project examining the value of hiring for mission through a study of Catholic school administrators' self-described hiring practices and the correspondence between these…

"Sacred Mission: A Study of Hiring for Mission in Catholic Schools via Self-Described Hiring Practices of Administrators" is a doctoral problem-based learning project examining the value of hiring for mission through a study of Catholic school administrators' self-described hiring practices and the correspondence between these…

"Sacred Mission: A Study of Hiring for Mission in Catholic Schools via Self-Described Hiring Practices of Administrators" is a doctoral problem-based learning project examining the value of hiring for mission through a study of Catholic school administrators' self-described hiring practices and the correspondence between these…

The objective of this study is to add to the existing literature on principal recruitment and hiring strategies by examining the turnover and retention patterns of internally recruited principals. For many hard-to-staff schools--particularly urban and rural schools--internal recruitment is considered a primary method of improving recruitment and…

In the final month of 2024, a Newsweek article celebrated an apparent victory in the Lone Star State: "Texas' Teachers Are More Diverse Than California's." In Washington, D.C., the press was slightly more subdued, but still proud: "Teacher diversity is slowing down, but D.C, offers a bright spot." These and many other headlines…

We use frame analysis to analyze the first iteration of the Texas District of Innovation policy, which allows districts to take exemption from state education requirements mandating the hiring of a state certified teacher. We analyzed 451 district policies and find the plans use very similar, and sometimes identical, language to frame both the…

This article presents a mixed method study utilizing teacher and student demographic and student attendance data from seven hundred and two public schools in central Texas along with follow-up qualitative data gathered through semi-structured interviews conducted with the top 1% of principals identified as having the most diverse group of faculty…

Roles such as principal and superintendent are politically positioned to affect policy and are seen as a steppingstone to the school district administration. In the United States of America, Black women are few in leadership positions. In the 2019-2020 school year there were approximately 1,662 public high school principals in the State of Texas…

Increasing the racial and gender diversity of the teacher and school leader workforce in public schools has been the focus of policy efforts in dozens of states. Using administrative longitudinal data for all Texas public schools over a 20-year period, this dissertation consists of three chapters examining the role of relational demography and…

Systems navigators help local educational agencies (LEAs) meet the needs of students experiencing homelessness and decrease barriers to their education by connecting them--and often their families--to resources and community organizations that can provide wraparound services. This National Center for Homeless Education brief: (1) provides…

Quality bilingual teachers are needed to close achievement gaps for students who are English Learners (ELs). The problem addressed in this study focused on finding strategies through teachers' experiences for effectively recruiting and retaining elementary bilingual teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study with a phenomenological research…