Quan điểm của Lãnh đạo: Quyền lực của Hiệu trưởng tại các Hệ thống Charter Nông thôn Georgia

Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Educational Policy Studies Dissertations Department of Educational Policy Studies Spring 5-14-2021 Principal Empowerment: Leader Perspectives In Rural Georgia Charter Systems Brock R. Holley Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.edu/eps_diss Recommended Citation Holley, Brock R., "Principal Empowerment: Leader Perspectives In Rural Georgia Charter Systems." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2021.edu/eps_diss/234 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Educational Policy Studies at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Policy Studies Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact scholarworks@gsu.

ACCEPTANCE This dissertation, PRINCIPAL EMPOWERMENT: LEADER PERSPECTIVES IN RURAL GEORGIA CHARTER SYSTEMS, by BROCK R. HOLLEY, was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s Dissertation Advisory Committee. It is accepted by the committee members in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Education, in the College of Education & Human Development, Georgia State University. The Dissertation Advisory Committee and the student’s Department Chairperson, as representatives of the faculty, certify that this dissertation has met all standards of excellence and scholarship as determined by the faculty.

_________________________ James Kahrs, Ed. Committee Chair _________________________ _________________________ Kristina Brezicha, Ph. Robert Hendrick, Ph. Committee Member Committee Member _________________________ Date _________________________ Jennifer Esposito, Ph.

Chairperson, Department of Educational Policy Studies _________________________ Paul A. Dean College of Education & Human Development AUTHOR’S STATEMENT By presenting this dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the library of Georgia State University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote, to copy from, or to publish this dissertation may be granted by the professor under whose direction it was written, by the College of Education’s Director of Graduate Studies, or by me. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and will not involve potential financial gain.

It is understood that any copying from or publication of this dissertation which involves potential financial gain will not be allowed without my written permission. Holley NOTICE TO BORROWERS All dissertations deposited in the Georgia State University library must be used in accordance with the stipulations prescribed by the author in the preceding statement. The author of this dissertation is: Brock Robert Holley 120 Valley Circle Calhoun, Georgia 30701 The director of this dissertation is: Dr. James Kahrs Department of Educational Policy Studies College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia 30303 CURRICULUM VITAE Brock R.

Holley ADDRESS: 120 Valley Circle Calhoun, Georgia 30701 EDUCATION: Ed. 2021 Georgia State University Educational Policy Studies Ed. 2017 University of West Georgia Educational Leadership Masters Degree 2014 Georgia College Special Education Bachelors Degree 2013 Georgia College Special Education PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 2018-present Assistant Principal Calhoun City Schools 2013-2018 Teacher Calhoun City Schools PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS: Doane-Beeler, M. Georgia Association of Positive Behavior Support Conference, Atlanta, Georgia.

PRINICPAL EMPOWERMENT: LEADER PERSPECTIVES IN RURAL GEORGIA CHARTER SYSTEMS by BROCK R. HOLLEY Under the Direction of Dr. James Kahrs ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the perspectives of principals leading rural Georgia schools within districts following charter system governance and addresses the overarching research question, “How do rural Georgia charter system principals perceive their level of empowerment in local school decision making?” Georgia charter system governance is available for any public school district in the state and offers empowerment and flexibility at the school house level. Charter system governance operates similarly to traditional charter schools but includes all public schools in the system charter contract.

Little research is available on the process of local leader empowerment in rural Georgia charter systems because Georgia is the only state to offer charter governance to districts and charter systems are relatively new having been created in 2007. Rural school systems are defined by the county the district is located in, having less than 50,000 people according to the 2010 census. This multiple case study utilized semi-structured interviews of seven principals in rural Georgia charter systems to understand the level of local empowerment and autonomy perceived by these leaders. Additionally, an internal and external document review took place to achieve triangulation during the data collection process.

Internal documents included the local system charter contract and the governance team documents from the local district. The external documents included the rules, regulations, and by-laws of charter system governance from the Georgia Department of Education and the Charter System Foundation. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes collected through principal interviews and document reviews. Results indicate that principals in rural Georgia charter systems perceive empowerment in decision-making at the local school level.

Five major themes emerged during the data analysis portion of the study: charter system governance, system-level support, the principalship, rural impact, and the local community. The results of this dissertation can help guide state, district, and school-level leaders, especially in rural settings, by understanding the perspectives of principals regarding empowerment and autonomy to make decisions in the best interest of the local school and community. INDEX WORDS: Georgia charter systems, principal leadership, empowerment, distributed leadership, rural schools, multiple case study PRINCIPAL EMPOWERMENT: LEADER PERSPECTIVES IN RURAL GEORGIA CHARTER SYSTEMS by BROCK R. HOLLEY A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership in Educational Policy Studies in the College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia 2021 Copyright by Brock R.

Holley 2021 i DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my family. To my wife, Jennifer, and our daughter, Julia, for their love, support, and patience. Jennifer, your encouragement and selfless attitude motivated me during the entire doctoral program. You sacrificed a significant portion of your time to accommodate my work and research.

You are the best wife I could ever ask for and I thank God for your love and support every day. To my mother, Susan, and my father, Don, for the positive example they collectively set for Trent, Jake, and I. Resiliency, hard-work, and commitment are just some of the values you taught that helped me through this program. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge the following people: The seven rural Georgia principals who allowed me to share their stories about their school and community.

They were unbelievably helpful and dedicated to their students, teachers, and schools. Georgia is blessed with some unbelievable school leaders in every corner of this great state. James Kahrs, my committee chair, whose leadership and advice during the dissertation process was invaluable. We spoke about school and life just as much as we did about my dissertation.

I am extremely grateful for your wisdom and encouragement. Kristina Brezicha and Dr. Robert Hendrick, my committee members, who gave intentional support and feedback throughout the dissertation process. Sheryl Cowart Moss, who guided our cohort and many others through the doctoral journey at Georgia State University.

Peter Coombe, who served as my mentor, principal, and friend from the time I began working at Calhoun City Schools and has always pushed me to continue growing as a leader. Cohort VII, I learned so much from hearing your perspectives and experiences. Our times of in- person classes were cut short due to COVID-19, but I look forward to staying in touch and watching you all grow professionally and personally. Jennifer, Julia, Susan, Don, Trent, and Jake, thank you and I love you.

iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………………. iv 1 PRINCIPAL EMPOWERMENT: LEADER PERSPECTIVES IN RURAL GEORGIA CHARTER SYSTEMS………………………………………………. 30 2 PRINCIPAL EMPOWERMENT: LEADER PERSPECTIVES IN RURAL GEORGIA CHARTER SYSTEMS…………………………………………………. 99 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1.

Study School Districts, Participants, Geographic Location, and Population Range…. 50 1 CHAPTER 1 PRINCIPAL EMPOWERMENT: LEADER PERSPECTIVES IN RURAL GEORGIA CHARTER SYSTEMS As with many of the industries in today’s world, education and the roles of different actors in education continue to evolve and adapt. As operations and systems begin to change, we realize what works the best and learn from past mistakes to improve students’ future outcomes. All disciplines experience the need for reflection and feedback pertaining to growth and development for endeavors to come.

The field of education is notorious for facing rapid change and adjustments to policies and procedures. The responsibility of promptly comprehending change is necessary for educational leaders at all levels. At the school level, the principal is the overarching leader and is accountable for all aspects of school operations. Numerous research articles show that effective school leadership is a strong predictor of student success and second only to direct classroom instruction (Louis, Leithwood, Wahlstrom, & Anderson, 2010; Coelli & Green, 2012; Ni, Yan, & Pounder, 2018).

Included in the ever-changing educational landscape is the increasingly diverse population of students schools are serving. While immediate and extended families largely contribute to child development and achievement, many students recognized positive relationships with teachers, counselors, and administrators as an essential factor in school success (Williams & Bryan, 2013). Due to the significant impact teachers and leaders have on students (Louis et al., 2010; Coelli & Green, 2012; Williams & Bryan, 2013; Ni et al., 2018; Pendola & Fuller, 2018), the need exists for leaders to be aware of local community issues and needs (Cruzerio & Boone, 2009; Schuman, 2010). Principals and school leaders hold a distinct understanding of local community needs and the instructional and pedagogical skills needed to advance student learning 2 (Hays, 2013; Parylo & Zepeda, 2014; Dou, Devos, & Valcke, 2017).

As a result, there is a need to understand the perception of empowerment between the central office and local principals, who are tasked to make decisions in their students and the local community’s best interest. Background of the Problem A shifting educational landscape requires an exceptional skill set for modern-day principals. Gone are the days of principals sitting in their office and merely managing school operations. In addition to the standard management requirements, principals are now trusted to drive instruction and provide distinctive student needs solutions.

These diverse school necessities emphasize the local school leader’s empowerment to make decisions in the student population and the local community’s best interest. Local school decision-making for principals includes, but is not limited to, school finance and budgeting, human resource allocation, and instructional development and supports. The gap between central office decision-making and school-level decision-making presents a problem that can inhibit efficient progress. Whitty and Power (2000) detailed the idea of school districts moving toward decentralization and away from the notion that all schools in a district have the same needs.

Additionally, charter schooling has grown in popularity since first established in the early 1990s (Hunt, 2010). The State of Georgia offers a unique charter option to schools and communities. Much like an individual school can adopt a charter for increased flexibility, school systems in Georgia have the opportunity for applying to become a charter school system, which grants flexibility to all schools governed by those districts (Georgia Charter Systems Act, 2007). Georgia public school districts have the option of following one of three governance models: status quo system, strategic waiver system, or charter system.

Georgia status quo school systems must follow all State Board of Education and Title 20 laws, rules, and regulations. Status 3 quo systems cannot request waivers from any of these requirements except for a few rare circumstances. Title 20 is the Georgia code section outlining public education’s legal responsibilities (Ga. Status quo systems account for the smallest portion of Georgia’s public school systems, with only two districts operating under status quo governance.

The second governance option available to Georgia’s school districts is the strategic waiver governance option, otherwise known as Investing in Excellence in Education or IE2 systems. Strategic waiver systems can waive some of the State Board of Education and Title 20 regulations.