WHITLOWE R. GREEN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Doctoral Proposal Defense Announcement
Investigating Professional Preparedness of Texas Charter School Founders Serving as
School Leaders and Their Effect on Student Achievement
(July 2015)
Tiffany Rock, B.S., University of Houston;
M.A., Prairie View A&M University
Chair of Advisory Committee: Patricia Hoffman-Miller, Ph.D.
Little research is available regarding the preparation and leadership skills of Texas charter
school leaders. It is unknown if Texas charter school leaders have adequate training and
experience required to successfully lead a charter school. The objective of this quantitative study
is to identify the professional preparedness of school leaders and their effect on student
achievement.
The investigation to follow will focus on superintendent preparedness from several
vantage points: professional experiences; education, degrees held, certifications, as well as
demographics; age, race, and gender.
The theoretical basis of this study utilizes nine attributes that a school leader should
possess. These attributes were outlined by Broad and Thomas (2003) and they included:
leadership, focus, and political savvy, sense of urgency, managerial competence, resourcefulness,
energy, resilience, and dedication.
With the rise of the charter school movement it is pertinent to ensure that all charter
schools offer the necessary tools required for student achievement based AYP guidelines under
the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Act, commonly referred to as No Child Left
Behind. Schools that consistently fail to meet AYP requirements mandated on the local, state,
and federal level must either be reformed, closed, or find an effective school leader.
Based on research conducted by Campbell in 2010, student achievement depends on the
school leader; therefore it is critical that schools employ leaders with attributes capable of
addressing the unambiguous needs of schools. Charter schools have unique leadership
requirements that differ from traditional public schools.
In order to determine if charter school leaders are adequately prepared, this study will
examine the differences between charter schools leaders with traditional educational leadership
preparedness programs and those not required to have traditional educational leadership
preparedness programs. The researcher will seek to determine whether these differences correlate
with student achievement in order to determine the adequacy of charter school leaders’
preparation. This study is beneficial to charter school leaders, because it investigates the
leadership skills and educational experiences that are essential to leading successful charter
schools. The results of this study will contribute to the research and add to the body of
knowledge relating to charter school leadership and leadership preparation.
The researcher will administer a survey to all Texas Charter school leaders who serve as
the school founder for the 2013-2014 school year. A list of all Texas charter school founders will
be obtained from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Two weeks will be allotted for the
completion of the survey. This research aims to categorize and explore practices that support the
professional preparedness of school leaders’ effect on student achievement.
The following research questions will be addressed:
1. What is the relationship between the preparedness of charter school leadership and student
achievement?
2. What is the professional background and demographic profile of charter school leaders in
Texas, including education, degree held, certification, and prior teaching/work experience
and its correlation with student achievement.
3. Is there a correlation between the educational preparation of charter school leaders and
their confidence on specific demands of the job?
The research method used for this research is quantitative using survey research that will
determine the correlation between the school leader preparedness and student achievement.
According to Creswell (2009), “A survey design provides a quantitative or numeric description of
trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that population” (p. 145).
The primary goal of this study is to explore the relationship of Texas charter school leaders’
background characteristics, leadership skills, and school success. A quantitative methodology will
be used to test the research questions prescribed in this study.
A survey developed by Dr. Dick Carpenter II for the Colorado Department of Education
Schools of Choice will serve as the as the primary instrument for gathering data on charter school
leaders. In addition, the accountability rating report will be used to retrieve AYP results to
determine student achievement. The original survey will be administered to all charter school
leaders in Texas, and will examine the background characteristics, leadership skills, and
challenges of the leader.
References
Campbell, C. (2010). You’re leaving? Succession and sustainability in charter schools. Retrieved
from http://www.ncsrp.org
The Broad Foundations and Thomas B. Fordham Institute. (2003). Better Leaders for America’s
Schools: A Manifesto. Retrieved from http://www.broadfoundation.org/
Creswell, J. W. (2008). Education research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative
and qualitative research (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches.
Los Angeles: Sage Publications. P.145
Date: August 5, 2015
Department: Educational Leadership and Counseling
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location/Room: DELCO 220___________________
Dissertation Chair:
Patricia Hoffman-Miller, Ph.D.
Dissertation Committee Members:
Carl Gardiner, Ph.D.
Samuel S. Sampson Ph.D.
Judy. Thompson, Ph.D.
Lisa Thompson, Ph.D.