INVESTIGATING LEADERSHIP PRACTICES IN SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS SERVING ELA LEARNERS WITH A FOCUS ON MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT by Susan Holloway B.A., University of Arizona, 1980 B.S., University of Tennessee, 1986 M.Ed., University of Colorado Boulder, 2008 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Education Doctorate Doctoral Studies in Education 2013 © 2013 Susan Holloway ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This thesis for the Education Doctorate degree by Susan Holloway has been approved for the Doctoral Studies in Education Program by Connie L. Fulmer, Chair Rodney Blunck JoAnn Silverstein Syna Morgan April 15, 2013 ii Susan Holloway (Ed. D, Doctoral Studies in Education) Investigating Leadership Practices in Successful Schools Serving ELA Learners With A Focus On Mathematics Achievement Thesis directed by Connie L. Fulmer. ABSTRACT This study defines and analyzes the successful leadership practice of a principal of an urban K-8 school serving English Language Learners in the western United States during the 2012-2013 academic year. Focusing on the self-identified leadership practice of a school leader evidenced to positively affect student learning, this study seeks to extend knowledge about what principals actually do to within the context of their schools to improve academic achievement for students. A definition of an applied leadership practice is constructed based on a review of relevant literature and evidence gathered in this study. The successful principal was measured via the VAL-ED Assessment in Education in order to validate the strongest components and processes of that leader’s leadership practice. Then, two principal interviews were conducted and coded to show alignments of the described leadership practices with two evidenced based frameworks; the VAL-ED Matrix and the Essential Supports and Indicators Framework. The first interview detailed the principal’s leadership practice as they conceived it and experienced it. The second interview was a narrative reflection of how critical work and life incidents were perceived to have shaped the principal’s leadership practices, and why these leadership practices emerged and flourished within their particular school and community context. Findings from other schools involved in this research were investigated to ascertain which Essential Supports and Indicators specifically connected to success or failure in mathematics are found in other schools conducting this research. The results of iii this research provide a more complete description of a successful leadership practice as it exists in practice in the described context.   This abstract accurately represents the content of the candidate’s dissertation. I recommend its publication. Approved: Connie L. Fulmer, Ph.D. iv ACKNOWLEGEMENT To my Doctoral Committee, Connie L. Fulmer, Chair, Rodney Blunck, JoAnn Silverstein, and Syna Morgan. Your support and scholarship were deeply experienced and much appreciated. To my beloved family and my community of friends and professional colleagues who offered support in many, many ways. Thanks too to the other members of my thematic dissertation, Robert Bishop, Wendy Ruben, Jennifer Shank, and Holly Voorhees-Carmichael. We worked together closely for over a year in planning, constructing measurement tools, and learning how to code our data. Though our case studies are unique, our preparation work was a team effort. v DEDICATION This work is dedicated to the students who benefit from strong educational leaders. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................6 Purpose of Study .........................................................................................6 Research Questions .....................................................................................7 Conceptual Frameworks .............................................................................8 VAL-ED Matrix ......................................................................................8 Essential Supports and Indicators .........................................................11 Significance of Study ................................................................................13 Research Assumptions ..............................................................................14 Limitations or Delimitations .....................................................................14 Operational Definitions .............................................................................15 Summary ...................................................................................................17 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE .........................................................................18 What Leaders Know about English Language Learners ..........................18 Precursors of a Leadership Practice Construct .........................................21 Effective Schools Research ...................................................................21 Direct and Indirect Principal Effect on Student Achievement ..............23 Instructional Leadership ........................................................................28 Early References to Leadership Practices .................................................35 Leadership Practices Inventory .............................................................35 High Poverty – High Performance (HP-HP) Research .........................36 Distributed Leadership Practices ...........................................................39 Conceptual Frameworks Supporting a Leadership Practice .....................41 Distributed Leadership Practice ………………………………………42 VAL-ED Matrix ....................................................................................44 Essential Supports and Indicators (ES-I) ...............................................48 Definition of a Leadership Practice ..........................................................51 Summary ...................................................................................................55 III. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................56 Methods ....................................................................................................56 Case Study .............................................................................................56 Narrative Inquiry ....................................................................................57 Research Design Elements ........................................................................58 Site Selection .........................................................................................58 Subjects .................................................................................................59 Unit of Analysis ....................................................................................59 Seven Stages of This Research ..............................................................59 Instruments ...............................................................................................63 VAL-ED Survey ....................................................................................63 Leadership Practices Interview Protocol ...............................................64 Narrative Inquiry Protocol ....................................................................65 Data Collection .........................................................................................65 VAL-ED Survey Data ............................................................................65 Leadership Practices Interview Protocol Data Collection .....................66 viii Narrative Inquiry Interview Protocol Data Collection ...........................67 Data Analysis ............................................................................................68 VAL-ED Survey Data ...........................................................................68 Analysis of Leadership Practices Interview Data .................................69 Analysis of Narrative Inquiry Interview Data .......................................69 Coding Inventories ................................................................................69 Triangulation and Member Checking ...................................................70 Summary ...................................................................................................71 IV. FINDINGS ....................................................................................................73 Case Study Demographics ........................................................................73 Research Question #1 ...............................................................................75 A Leadership Practice Uncovered .........................................................76 Leadership Practice Triangle ..................................................................77 Work Focus of Leadership Practice ......................................................78 Emergent Activities/Tools Related to the Work Focus ..........................79 Work Focus of the Leadership Practice .................................................78 Proximal Goals of the Work Focus ........................................................89 Distal Goals Resulting from the Work ..................................................95 Specific Leadership Practice Efforts Focused on ELA Learners ...........97 Research Question # 2 ..............................................................................99 Research Question # 3 ............................................................................106 Research Question # 4 ............................................................................111 Research Question # 5 ............................................................................114 ix