Dissertation Prospectus

Reciprocal Investigation of Charter School Leadership Style and Qualities

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Dissertation Prospectus

Introduction The leaders or administrators of any school are supposedly responsible for the academic successes of their forts, not only that, they are also supposed to be up to date with curriculum application processes, discipline handling means and the public relation tools necessary to deal with ever demanding parents. (Marlow, 2007). Marlow (2007) observes that charter schools’ heads have a responsibility over all stakeholders to make clear and concise communication. Involvement with the community is also crucial as is possession of character traits like decency, perseverance, honesty, respect and empathy (Marlow, 2007). The distinguishing factor in charter schools is their innovativeness in teaching techniques and learning methods, as opposed to the regulation bound public schools. As far as school leadership is concerned, charter schools introduce a new dimension in as far as control and freedom in creativity and curriculum development is concerned. (Zimmer & Buddin, 2007). The skills possessed by the leaders in these schools have significance in that they are not leaders in only instruction methods but will also fill in as financial and operational managers of their respective institutions. By the mere fact that these schools are mostly start-ups, there exists no set system that they must follow, thus, the onus of developing and maintaining the financial, operational and instruction modules to be adhered to mainly falls with the leadership. Zimmer and Buddin (2007) observe that the leaders, thus, have to shoulder the responsibilities of management, principal and leader of instructions. The profiling of the techniques and qualities of leadership among charter schools in Florida is the main goal of this study. This was informed by the high turnover rates for students, low test scores in National and state tests as well as high levels of parent dissatisfaction.

Background of the Study. According to the Texas Education Agency (2005), a third of the students in public schools in Texas who were considered to be at risk and were in Charter schools passed the Texas skills and knowledge Assessment Test. By 2006, December, out of 249 charter schools, 56 had had their charters revoked or considered in an otherwise unfavorable manner. Charter schools are public schools and thus funded through public means similar to traditional district schools . The major difference between the two is that more flexibility in curriculum development is enjoyed by the charter schools and that an individual or group of individuals can start a charter school. The leaders of these schools are only tasked with an extra obligation of ensuring superior results in exchange for more freedom and are also required to seek charter renewal every five years (Griffin & Wohlstetter, 2001). The main reason behind the establishment of these schools was the provision of more educational options to the students. Due to their non limitation geographically, they provide better performing options for low income families. The TCER report of 2007 informs that even with these advantages, charter schools only enroll 2% of the student population, and this is attributed to their low capacity and tendency to be small in size. Leaders in charter schools are likely to have time limitations, and as such spend less time in instructional leadership and guidance to teachers. Peebles (2007) notes that such time constrictions eventually cause weak organizational culture development. Objectives, goals and timelines in teaching become hazy with time constraints and the teachers do not find time to prepare for learning activities. With all these challenges, charter school leaders enjoy a unique position where they could act both as coaches and life mentors. They are capable of being more active as participants in teacher’s professional advancement than their peers in other schools (Zimmer & Buddin, 2007). They also enjoy the discretion of deciding the time load for each subject as well as the durations for school days and terms. They also exercise discretion on how long a subject is to be studied (Zimmer & Buddin, 2007)..Ethical Considerations

The research will follow the informed consent approach to research. All respondents will be informed of the use of the information that they will provide. The name of the respondents, name of the institution, and position held will all be optional. All information given will be handled with utmost confidentiality.

References

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Brouillette, L. (2002). Charter schools: Lessons in school reform. Mahwah, N.J: L. Erlbaum Associates.

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Buddin, R., & Zimmer, R. (June 06, 2005). Student Achievement in Charter Schools: A Complex Picture. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 24, 2, 351-371.

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Bulkley, K. E., & Wohlstetter, P. (2004). Taking account of charter schools: What’s happened and what’s next?. New York: Teachers College Press.

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