Date of Award

Spring 3-10-2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Organizational Leadership

First Advisor

Douglas DeVore, Ed.D.

Second Advisor

Marylou Wilson, Ed.D.

Third Advisor

Nicholas Richter, Ed.D.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the degree of importance for the 12-step principles proposed by Harvey, Drolet, and DeVore (2014) to create a K-12 school environment that fosters high student achievement as perceived by public school elementary principals in Northern California. A secondary purpose was to explore and describe the leadership strategies for implementing the 12-step principles proposed by Harvey et al. (2014) to create a K-12 school environment that fosters high student achievement as perceived by public school elementary principals in Northern California.

Methodology: The researcher used sequential explanatory mixed methods for this study. The researcher worked with a thematic group of 7 peer researchers to develop the survey and interview protocol used for data collection. Purposeful sampling was used to identify participants who met the sample criteria for this study.

Findings: Based on quantitative research findings, the 12-step principles perceived to be the most critical by leaders are as follows: strong leadership, establish a culture of high achievement, flexibility and resilience, vision and values, and high expectations. Based on qualitative research findings, the researcher found codes related to the following principles that were reported by leaders at the highest percentage: strong leadership (22%), collaboration and shared decision-making (9%), and communication (9%). Qualitative research findings indicate an integration of leadership strategies across the 12-step principles and leadership strategies to support that each of the 12-step principles exists at high-achieving schools.

Conclusions: Conclusions from the research reveal a strong integration of the 12-step principles proposed by Harvey et al. (2014), recognizing strong leadership involves the interplay of several variables, establishing a culture of high achievement, creating a shared vision, recognizing the importance of collaborative leadership, ensuring leaders demonstrate flexibility and resilience, and ensuring a central focus on academics and data are critical for creating a high-achieving school environment.

Recommendations: Recommendations for future research include replication studies, comparative studies, and a case study.

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