Author : David W. Ziskin
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 116 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (12 download)
Book Synopsis Self-identified Behaviors and Decisions of Superintendents in High Need/low Resource Rural School Districts with Higher Than Average Graduation Rates by : David W. Ziskin
Download or read book Self-identified Behaviors and Decisions of Superintendents in High Need/low Resource Rural School Districts with Higher Than Average Graduation Rates written by David W. Ziskin and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify leadership behaviors and decisions that superintendents of high need/low resource rural schools believe contributed to the higher than average graduation rate achieved in their districts from 2010 through 2014. The study also attempted to provide clarity regarding which strategies suggested in the New York State Education Department's (NYSED) Diagnostic Tool for School and District Effectiveness (DTSDE) these superintendents found to be reflective of their own practice. The researcher interviewed nine superintendents from New York school districts classified as both rural and high need by NYSED. The superintendents interviewed served in districts that had attained an average five-year graduation rate from 2010-14 of at least 85%. Questions connected to the suggested strategies regarding district leadership and support were posed to each of the nine superintendents and served as the framework to answer three research questions. 1. What are the behaviors and decisions exhibited by superintendents in nine High N/RC: Rural districts in New York State that had average five year graduation rates of at least 85% from 2010-14? 2. In what specific ways are the behaviors, actions, and decisions of these superintendents reflective of the suggested optimal behaviors of district leaders identified in Tenet 1 (District Leadership and Capacity) of the New York State Education Department's Diagnostic Tool for School and District Effectiveness (DTSDE)? 3. In what specific ways are the behaviors, actions, and decisions of these superintendents reflective of the suggested behaviors of district leaders associated with district support to achieve optimal conditions for student learning identified in Tenets 2-6 of the Diagnostic Tool for School and District Effectiveness (DTSDE)? The results of the study found that the most often cited DTSDE strategies deployed by the superintendents included an emphasis on strong hiring and recruiting practices, nurturing of respectful and collaborative relationships with principals, strategic deployment of resources including professional development and the collaborative design of goals that support student achievement and the district vision. The study also indicated that the superintendents recognized a majority of the suggested DTSDE strategies in their own behaviors and decisions. They also acknowledged that there were strategies suggested in the DTSDE that are not present in there practice. This research justified the use of aspects of the DTSDE as a resource for rural schools and also provided further validation of previous research related to leadership practices in rural schools.