A qualitative study of the roles, functions, and leadership strategies of central office administrators in district improvement initiatives

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Brian Muller (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Carl Lashley

Abstract: Central office administrators are charged with the implementation of various education initiatives each year with the desired end result being an improvement in student performance. The purpose of this study is to discover how central office administrators exhibit leadership, carry out their roles, and perform their functions in district-wide improvement initiatives. Readers will gain a better understanding of how central office administrators work and lead from their positions in the school district. The participants shared their feelings and gave feedback on their direct experiences as central office administrators who are charged with the responsibility of implementing district-wide improvement initiatives. In order to collect and analyze rich data about central office employees, a qualitative study was conducted where there were no preconceived theories. Data were collected through the tape recorded interviews of 12 central office administrators from four different school districts and the collection of relevant documents that pertain to the roles and functions of their jobs. The participants were categorized according to the similarities in their job titles and the findings from the interview data were presented for comparison. The document reviews were used to compare against the information gained from the participants. The three main takeaways from this study were that central office administrators have placed a high value on collaboration, communication, and strategic leadership in order to effectively implement district-wide improvement initiatives. Practitioners can reflect on the newly-gained information from the emerging themes from these interviews and document reviews to propose new studies for research.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2015
Keywords
Central Office Administrators, Collaboration, Communication, Functions, Leadership Strategies, Roles
Subjects
School administrators $z North Carolina
Educational leadership $z North Carolina

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