Date of Award

Spring 5-2018

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Research and Administration

Committee Chair

James Fox

Committee Chair Department

Educational Research and Administration

Committee Member 2

Stanley Benigno

Committee Member 2 Department

Educational Research and Administration

Committee Member 3

Lilian Hill

Committee Member 3 Department

Educational Research and Administration

Committee Member 4

David Lee

Committee Member 4 Department

Educational Research and Administration

Committee Member 5

Kyna Shelley

Committee Member 5 Department

Educational Research and Administration

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with the success of conservatorships as a method for school district improvement by analyzing school accountability ratings, results from an adaptive leadership instrument, and action plans of conservators. A sequential exploratory design was used to examine the action plans implemented by conservators to increase academic achievement in five failing school districts. The quantitative data from this study consisted of accountability ratings from districts under the control of a conservator within the 2012 – 2016 time period and data from the adaptive leadership questionnaire. This questionnaire was sent to administrators in the districts mentioned previously to rate the adaptive leadership behaviors of their assigned conservator. These data were then used to inform the qualitative portion of the study by helping the researcher determine which conservators should participate in the interviews. The historical accountability data revealed that only two of the districts reached and maintained a successful accountability rating. High adaptive leadership scores were not necessarily linked to a higher accountability rating. The lowest adaptive leadership conservator achieved a successful rating, while the highest adaptive leadership score did not meet that rating. Conservator interviews were conducted to determine what took place in each of the districts during the conservatorship. The interviews determined that some of the issues these districts are facing included: ineffective leadership, poor attendance, lack of standards-based teaching, and problems with data analysis. The action plans implemented by each conservator varied based on the issues they noticed after gaining control. Plans were set up to address issues with poor facilities, financial and personnel issues, and instructional concerns.

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