This study sought to determine whether there was a statistically significant correlation between school board behaviors and characteristics, and a superintendent's use of a transformational leadership model. The study was grounded in four research questions: Is there a statistically significant correlation between board behaviors and…

Maine Department of Education (MDOE) developed a Whole Student Approach (WSA) framework in summer 2022 to help MDOE offices, district leaders, and educators operationalize the main tenets of the WSA framework. This framework sought to support education leaders in aligning priority initiatives, policies, and resources in service of the WSA. Region…

This qualitative study investigates the skills, practices and dispositions that 18 experienced superintendents perceive as impactful to their longevity and success. In addition, superintendents were asked about what decisions, if any, they had made regarding the academic performance of students of color in their district. Superintendents described…

Perhaps no relationship is as crucial for practicing superintendents as the relationship with their school board presidents. This study examined which leadership traits of superintendents were most important according to superintendents and school board presidents in a rural state in the Midwest. A researcher-developed survey studied how important…

This mixed-methods study investigated support for Grades K-5 teachers' learning with Twitter. As more teachers turn to the Twitter microblogging service as an online space for professional development (PD), it is important to understand how and if teachers believe school administrators' support their use of Twitter for teacher PD. Key findings…

This dissertation study explores the lived experiences of Black women leaders of public school districts across the United States. Black women superintendents comprise roughly 2% of urban superintendencies in the United States, so understanding their journeys to and experiences in the position is critical to understanding ways that these systems…

The study's objective was to generate a composite description of the lived experience of women serving as rural Arizona public school district superintendents with special attention to ways this experience was impacted by the time in their tenures when they comprised a majority of local superintendents. Context includes 2020 data documenting a…

The purpose of this sequential exploratory mixed-method study was to discover the factors that lead to a school board hiring a non-traditional superintendent qualified through a Commission Qualification Letter over a superintendent qualified through a traditional Letter of Eligibility in Pennsylvania. The researcher used surveys and interviews to…

Several acts and movements have attempted to eliminate discrimination in employment opportunities. However, despite these acts and movements, there remains a disproportionate number of males in top leadership positions in public schools. Women who hold the position of superintendent in public school districts in Oklahoma from diverse backgrounds…

Research was limited when it came to the perceptions of rural district and school leaders regarding the recruitment and retention of teachers of color. Beginning in 2021 2022, Tennessee's Educator Diversity Policy, 5.700 outlined requirements for local education agencies to submit goals, plans, and strategies to promote the recruitment and…

Numerous accounts suggest that public school superintendents are burned out and frustrated by the accumulated stress of steering schools through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and political polarization, and that they are increasingly at risk of mass attrition. However, despite high stress levels and similarly dire predictions…

The primary purpose of this research was to examine the mindset of an effective superintendent, which successfully motivates employees of the Millennial and Generation Z generations. The research methodology for this dissertation was a phenomenological qualitative study that interviewed three superintendents across the United States who subscribed…

The purpose of this study was to determine if mentorship and sponsorship could help identify the potential political pitfalls or "hidden rules" of senior-level leadership to increase the identification, recruitment, and retention of minority women, specifically African American women in the role of superintendent or executive at the…

School administrators face uncertainties and challenges in implementing nontraditional learning environments that provide high-quality educational experiences during pandemics and crises (Basilaia & Kvavadze, 2020; Tria, 2020). The purpose of the current qualitative exploratory case study was to explore how 11 district-level (superintendents…

The narrative of superintendent's leaving school districts shortly after being hired is a national phenomenon with significant impacts on the capacity of educational systems to make progress and improvement. Exacerbated in high need/reform districts, evidence of dysfunction in the relationship between the superintendent and board of education…