Examining The Relationship Between Superintendent Principal Partnership Longevity And Annual Graduation Rates In New York State

Author : Gianleo A. Duca
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 123 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (115 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Effect of Superintendent Strategic Planning and Resource Allocation on Student Achievement written by Gianleo A. Duca and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 123 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A system leader, specifically a district superintendent, is responsible for articulating a long-term plan for all stakeholders in the school community which addresses the needs of students (Bryson, 2018). Boozer, Kelley, Peterkin, and Sherman (2011), state that the role of the superintendent has changed from a more traditional role where leaders dealt with “building, budgets, and boards” to a more transformative role. In this role, the leader needs to be fluent in “collaboration, communication, and curriculum” (Preface viii). To that end, strategic planning and resource allocation must both be clearly communicated for a school district to improve student achievement. Effective organizational systems are created with the help of good management; a process which draws on resources that create value for stakeholders (Bryson, Gibbons, & Shaye, 2001; Osterwalder, Pigneur, Bernarda, Smith, & Papadakos, 2014). According to Alford and Yates (2014), three areas that have been increasingly integrated in effective organizational systems are human resources, information technology and financial management. These have become fundamental elements in sustaining, strengthening, and protecting organizations. Each year across New York State, school districts with a high rate of poverty (33% or greater free and reduced lunch rate) exceed the New York State graduation rate threshold of 80%. Research is limited regarding answering the fundamental question of how decisions are made regarding which programs will be funded to improve student achievement across the district. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study is to explore the relationship between superintendent strategic planning, resource allocation, and student achievement in school districts that are both high poverty and high achieving in New York State. More specifically, the study focuses on the strategic planning practices used by superintendents in 270 school districts across New York State that have a free and reduced lunch rate of 33% or greater and have a graduation rate of 85% or greater. The study addresses how school districts with a high poverty rate fund programs that help their students achieve at a high level. This study also examines whether district superintendents allocate resources to fund programs that they indicate will affect student achievement. It is presumed that all have equivalent resources to allocate for like sized groups of students. Furthermore, this study explores whether or not these decisions increase the graduation rate of the identified school districts across NYS. This study used these two frameworks as guidance for the development of the survey instrument and to guide the literature review. While developing the survey, specific questions were created to help ascertain the level of organizational coherence within the school district and delve into the strategic planning practices that are currently being used. Thus, the data analysis is framed through both the ABCs of Strategic planning and the PELP coherence framework. The findings from this research indicate that superintendents who engage in a formal strategic planning process are more likely to set clear goals, involve both internal and external stakeholders, and identify strengths and weaknesses. They are also more likely to communicate the plan to stakeholders across the community. Additionally, when a superintendent is able to clearly communicate priorities for a district, they are more likely to achieve a greater percentage of buy-in from stakeholders.