Date of Award

2020

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

School of Education

Abstract

Instructional leadership is one of the primary responsibilities of administrators within secondary schools. as administrators assume the role of instructional leaders, it is important to note that having the ability to guide a school or district through the process of organizational change is critical. Specifically, within the area of curriculum, change is constantly occurring. This qualitative research study was designed to identify a list of best leadership practices/actions for instructional leaders to use when leading a school or district through the process of changing its framework for curriculum development. the researcher replicated the research of Alexander Carter (2016) who studied transition from traditional grading systems to standards-based systems. the conceptual framework was Kotter's change model. a sample of 11 administrators and department chairs working in instructional leadership positions within schools that are members of the Chicago Area Directors of Curriculum and Assessment (CADCA) elected to serve as participants. the participants completed a questionnaire aimed to identify best leadership practices and actions instructional leaders should consider as they plan for leading a school or district through changing its framework for curriculum development. Responses were coded and verified by participants; a second questionnaire, which included 120 best leadership practices and actions was developed and administered to participants. Seven practices were identified as having €œvery high€ consensus and 62 as having €œacceptable€ consensus. the seven practices aligned to the following steps within Kotter's Change Framework: Establish a Sense of Urgency, Creating a Guiding Coalition, Creating a Change Vision, Empower Broad Based Action, Generate Short-Term Wins, and Incorporate Change into the Culture. the following themes were identified for consideration when leading change in curriculum framework: the Why, Selecting and Supporting Leadership, Celebrating Successes, Showing Gratitude, Adjust when Necessary, Communication, and Multiple Stakeholders. the list of seven €œvery high€ consensus practices and themes identified from this research can assist secondary school administrators and department chairs when planning and leading change in curriculum framework.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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