Dissertation
A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF PRINCIPALS’ CHARACTERIZATIONS OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
Doctor of Education (EdD), Washington State University
12/2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000008410
Abstract
To address evolving societal demands, schools must implement improvement initiatives to enhance students’ academic, social, and emotional growth. Effective leadership is essential for the successful planning and implementation of school improvement initiatives. While we understand the critical importance of effective leadership, there remains a lack of insights from experienced principals on the necessary skills required to lead school improvement efforts effectively. The purpose of this study was to investigate how effectively (as measured by external outcomes) principals characterize their role in school improvement efforts and describe barriers and facilitators to school improvement. Findings highlight four key principal roles: (a) team building, (b) capacity building, (c) facilitating professional development, and (d) monitoring and improving implementation. Additionally, findings indicated that student-centric approaches and data-driven decision-making are critical areas for school improvement. Major barriers identified include lack of staff buy-in, high costs, staff turnover, and time constraints, while family and community support emerged as key facilitators. These insights provide actionable strategies for principals to enhance school improvement efforts by building effective teams, fostering teacher capacity, leveraging professional development, and addressing implementation challenges through ongoing monitoring and data-informed practices.
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Details
- Title
- A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF PRINCIPALS’ CHARACTERIZATIONS OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
- Creators
- Sylvia Diahanne Campbell
- Contributors
- Katherine Rodela (Chair)Kathleen Cowin (Committee Member)Sharon Kruse (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Educational Leadership, Sport Studies, and Educational/Counseling Psychology
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Education (EdD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 171
- Identifiers
- 99901357897801842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation