Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Dissertation Committe for James D. Laub, PhD Proposal Defense

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Dissertation Proposal: An Analysis of the Rural

School Superintendency

James Laub

Prairie View A & M UniversityMarch 2006

Significance of the Study Limited research available on rural schools

Research developed by the study could leadto less turnover and better retention rates of rural public school superintendents, thus,

eliminating costly executive employeesearches for school districts.

Significance of the Study (cont.) Research gathered by the study may help rural public

school superintendents more accurately identifyproblems and challenges, thus stabilizing the role of chief executive officer of the school district, where heor she can positively impact the educational program.

Information, recommendations and experiencesoffered by other rural superintendents during thedata gathering portion of the study could impact training and curriculum for educational leadershipand superintendency certification programs.

Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study is to analyze the

educational governance challenges faced by

superintendents in rural public schooldistricts.

Many of the constraints that have historicallyinhibited the abilities of rural public schooldistricts can be overcome provided the schoolleadership is stable and dedicated toexcellence. (Chance & Capps 1992).

Statement of the Problem A high rate of rural public school districts

continue to experience a high incidence of

superintendent turnover (Grady & Bryant,1991)

Predictions loom of an increasingly highturnover rate in the superintendency,reaching perhaps as high as 40 percent to 50percent in the upcoming years (Stricherz,2001).

Statement of the Problem (cont)

A decreasing number of applicants in the poolfor superintendent vacancies create a

challenge for school districts, particularlythose that are rural and small (Czaza &Harman,1999; Johnson & Howley, 2001).

Excessive turnover caused by a high rate of turnover in the superintendency can detract from the espoused purpose of educatingstudents (Chance & Capps, 1992).

Research Questions Qualitative

What are the characteristics of rural public

school districts? What are the governance challenges facing

rural public school superintendents?

What knowledge, skills and strategies are

utilized by rural public schoolsuperintendents to address governancechallenges?

Qualitative Questions Question 1

Review of the Literature

Extant databases Question 2

Review of the Literature

Survey Naturalistic Inquiry

Question 3 Review of the Literature

Survey Naturalistic Inquiry

Research Questions Quantitative

What are the factors that contribute tosuperintendent turnover in rural publicschool districts?

What innovative models are available to

address the current and future challengesfacing rural public school superintendents?

Hypotheses H1 There is a statistically significant

difference between turnover rates among

superintendents in rural public schooldistricts.

H2 There is a statistically significant difference between the leadership behaviorsexhibited among superintendents in ruralpublic school districts as identified by theMLQ (Form 5X).

Limitations of the Study A potential for differences in the responses may

exist, given the type of survey instruments andmethodology (web based survey, telephone survey,

personal interview) utilized in data collection andgathering. The study may be restricted by the personal

perceptions, beliefs, assumptions, feelings andexperiences of rural public school superintendents.

Economic, regional and cultural biases may exist inthe data, given the scope of the study isgeographically based in the southwestern part of theUnited States

Chapter 2 Strands of Research

Rural School Districts

Superintendents

Problems

Leadership

Rural School Districts History

Characteristics

Research

Governance

Howley

Arnold

Beeson

Strange

Superintendents History

Governance

Responsibilities

Kowalski

Brunner

Challenges School Board

Relations

Teacher Retention

Funding

Facilities Transportation

Howley

Beeson

Strange

Johnson

Leadership Transformational

Transactional

MBE - Active

Laissez-Faire

MBE - Passive

Avolio

Bennis

Sergiovanni

Chapter 3 Data Sources

Survey Instruments Superintendents in 5 states

Extant Databases

Chapter 1 glossary

SEDL, AEIS, ADC, SISD, SAIS, ODE

AASA, Professional Organizations

Population and Sample Target Population

Rural School

Superintendents 5 States

TX, NM, OK, NM, AZ

653 Districts

Less than 500students in district

Simple Random Sample

Quantitative

SPSS 150 Superintendents

Qualitative

30 Superintendents

Survey Instruments Quantitative

Descriptive/Explanatory

Likert Scale

MLQ Form 5X

Reliability

Validity Uses in variety of contexts

Survey Instruments Qualitative

Reliability

Cronbachs alpha .8945

Validity

Panel of experts

Data Analysis - QuantitativeHypotheses Stat Method Ind. Variable Dep. Variable Covariant

H1 ANOVA Superintendent Turnover Rate

H2 ANOVA Superintendent Management Style

H1, H2 ANCOVA Age

Gender

Yrs Exp

Data Analysis - Qualitative What are the characteristics of a

rural public school district? What are the responsibilities of a

rural public school superintendent?

What would you depict as thegovernance challenges facing ruralpublic school superintendents?

What knowledge, skills andstrategies do you utilize to addressthese governance challenges?

How would you define yourleadership style?

What advice were you given as afirst year superintendent that helpedyou the most?

What advice would you give a first year superintendent?

Review of the Literature Triangulation Member Checks Emergent Themes

Descriptive Statistics Demographics

Gender Yrs Experience

# of Students

Tax Base

Tax Rate

Extant Databases

AEIS ADC

School Districts

Recommendations for Future Studies

Comparison study of suburban andurban superintendents

Management Styles

Superintendent Preparation Programs

Comparison study of suburban andurban school districts

Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Dissertation Committe for James D. Laub, PhD Proposal Defense

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