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Item Proximal antecedents of effective school leadership practices(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2022) Ransom, Chad LeRoy; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: William RuffSchool principals have a significant impact on student achievement. While much is known about what effective principals do, relatively less is known about the antecedents of those practices. Specifically, a leader's cognitive abilities have been identified as a gap in the research, as well as holding promise as an antecedent that could lead to improving principal practices. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between a leader's cognitive skills, framed as Cognitive Personal Leadership Resources (CPLRs) by Leithwood (2012), and principal practices. CPLRs are divided into three categories: problem-solving, knowledge of effective school and classroom conditions, and systems-thinking. Utilizing a Social Cognitive Theoretical (SCT) framework, the influence of perceptions of contextual affordances and demands and leaders' self-efficacy were also considered. Findings from this study indicate the critical importance of CPLRs, especially problem- solving, to the enactment of principal practices. Study participants spent most of their time deciding which actions to take, both proactively and reactively, in solving problems. Ultimately, the interaction of all three CPLRs (problem-solving, knowledge of effective school and classroom conditions, and systems-thinking) with perceptions of contextual affordances and demands, and self-efficacy lead to a theory of action that guided their actions. Conflicting priorities made the decision-making processes more difficult. Additionally, there were several other skills that study participants highlighted as being important related to the implementation of leadership practices.Item Role of elementary school leaders in special education decisions(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2020) Seger, Christa Mae; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: William RuffThis study was designed to gain an understanding of tasks elementary building leaders are personally involved with special education building tasks and identify building leaders who self-identify as highly engaged in special education. Instructional leaders must have a full understanding of educational practices as they relate to special education. Building level leaders are asked to perform many different tasks daily. With over 7.0 million students identified as needing special education services, many building leaders struggle with their knowledge of special education and their role. Many Educational Leadership programs do not require a building leader to be educated specifically in the area of special education practices and law thus creating a disconnect in instructional leadership. A case study design was used in answering the four research questions. A survey, Questionnaire on the Special Education Roles and Functions of the School District and/or Building Level Administrator, was administered to elementary building level leaders in one western urban school district in Denver, Colorado. Once quantitative data was collected and analyzed, a qualitative phase using interviews with self-identified highly engaged elementary leaders was conducted. The findings suggest principals who are highly engaged in special education tasks have an understanding of their role and what strategies are needed to be an effective special education instructional leader. These strategies include being (a) collaborative, (b) accountable, and (c) being in a position to create trusting, authentic relationships with stakeholders. It is important for building leaders to have appropriate training to (a) access information through on-the-job training, (b) to prevent a lack of knowledge in IDEA tasks, and (c) be held accountable for ensuring special education programs are adequately supported in their building.Item Principal leadership, collective teacher efficacy, and high reliability organization principles : creating high-performing high schools(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2016) Filpula, Linda Ruth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Tena VerslandThe purpose of this multiple embedded case study is to understand how principal leadership develops and maintains collective teacher efficacy (CTE) in rural high schools, and how CTE and high reliability organization (HRO) principles contribute to the development of a high-performing rural high school. Four Montana high schools were selected for this study based upon students above average composite ACT scores and graduation rates for two consecutive years. The third criterion was that each school's principal had to have been in that leadership position longer than four years. Each school completed Goddard and Hoy's Collective Efficacy Scale (2003) to ascertain the level of the teaching staff's collective efficacy and provide descriptive data. The principal and a teacher focus group from each school were then interviewed separately. From the data analysis, three themes emerged across all four schools. First, principals had developed 'situational awareness' to effectively manage their schools. Second, principals had well established and effective formal and informal channels of communication. Third, principals had a continuous school improvement process in place to make improvements. Principals have a key role to play in the development of CTE as well as the implementation of HRO principles in their schools to create a high-performing school. The results of this study can provide new insights on how principals develop collective teacher efficacy (CTE) and utilize the five high reliability organization principals to create a high-performing high school in rural Montana.Item Participation of Montana high school principals in community organizations(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1965) Friedt, HenryItem Selected qualifications of Montana elementary school principals(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1976) Shepherd, Glen Arlyn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Gerald D. SullivanItem The principal's role and in-service education(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1970) Silk, Monte TimItem An evaluation of the elementary principalship program at Montana State University(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1972) Mader, Harold GlenItem How Seattle school principals perceive their role in professional negotiations(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1971) Anderson, Dennis JohnItem An evaluation of the elementary school principalship program at Montana State University(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1975) McAfee, Robert RichardItem Actual and ideal role perceptions of the elementary school principals in the Great Falls Public Schools(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1973) Kuntz, Gerald Louis
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