Date of Award

2018

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

School of Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine a principal's leadership actions while attempting to improve primary student outcomes in reading in a Dual Language (English/Spanish) neighborhood school by supporting teachers in implementing a balanced literacy approach to teaching reading in Spanish. The principal as researcher noticed at the end of the 2014-15 year that primary reading assessment data in Spanish revealed low percentages of Spanish-speaking English Language Learner (ELL) students reading at grade level in Spanish with kindergarten, first, and second grade students' results respectively at 24, 34, and 37 percent. Research in the field of Dual Language Education supports teachers using a balanced approach to literacy instruction in Spanish while paying particular attention to differences in teaching foundational skills in Spanish as compared to English. In the 2015-16 school year the researcher led professional development in this area. For this doctoral study, the researcher engaged in a self-study while reviewing documents, such as professional development exit slips and teacher team meeting minutes, to reflect on his leadership and the impact it had on teacher practice while keeping in mind principles of the Elmore Internal Coherence Framework (Elmore, R. F., Forman, M. L., Stosich, E. L., & Bocala, C.; 2013) as a way to understand and assess his leadership capacity.

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