Leadership Challenges of the Rural School Principal

As stress impacts the organization and operations of a school, leader stressors may be determined by the setting, years of experience of the leader and the greater educational landscape in which the principal must lead. The researchers sought to differentiate between the perceived stress and joy of urban and rural school principals. Findings derived from this time series design inquiry suggest that despite external influence, there is limited change in reported stress of rural school principals. Though the leadership in any setting is complex and multi-faceted, the researchers identified and assessed contributing factors

State Data Directors and Their Perceptions of Student Performance Data across the Educational Environment

This interpretative phenomenological research study examined the perceptions and lived experiences of 6 state data directors from across America. This study was focused on the problem of state data director’s perception of student performance data and viewed this problem through the lens of the perception action theory. This theory allowed individual perception to be consider as a driver of action, thinking, and a way of knowing for each of the participants within the study. The findings identified the ways through which perception is considered within the role of state level educational administration and the ways in which perception is informed through individual lived experiences. As a result of this study four themes were identified, impacting the way in which perception is viewed, perception can be altered in critical populations, and the role that perception plays in the greater dynamic environment of policy setting and procedural decision making. Finally, through this study the researcher proffers ways through which both scholarship and practice can be modified to positively impact learning outcomes for students in classrooms across the American education environment