Dissertation
Central Office Coherence in Hamilton County Schools
University of Iowa
Doctor of Education, University of Iowa
Spring 2023
DOI: 10.25820/etd.006714
Abstract
Background: Central offices play a critical but often overlooked role in student achievement in school districts. Prior research has suggested that central offices that prioritize coherence in the beliefs, communication, and structures of a focused theory of action can achieve improved results in student achievement.
Setting: Hamilton County Schools, a public school district in the Chattanooga, Tennessee metro area serving 45,000 students across 79 schools in the 2022-2023 school year.
Participants: Ten senior leaders in the school district’s central office.
Research Design: Qualitative case study based on interviews of senior leaders, district communications, and central office structures
Data Collection and Analysis: Summative content analysis and document analysis were used to examine interviews and district documents to assess the level of coherence in three areas: senior leaders’ beliefs, communication, and structures around a focused theory of action.
Findings: For the 2022-2023 school year, the Hamilton County Schools central office has ample evidence of coherence in beliefs, communication, and structures. However, several areas of incoherence emerged from the analysis that are barriers to more widespread implementation.
Conclusions: This case study demonstrates that central offices can and should create organizational coherence to best serve their students.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Central Office Coherence in Hamilton County Schools
- Creators
- John Rice
- Contributors
- Liz Hollingworth (Chair) - University of Iowa, Educational Policy and Leadership StudiesNicholas A Bowman (Committee Member) - University of IowaMegan McVancel (Committee Member) - University of IowaLucas E Ptacek (Committee Member) - University of Iowa, Educational Policy and Leadership StudiesSteven M Triplett (Committee Member) - University of Iowa, Teaching and Learning
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Project Type
- Capstone
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education, University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Educational Policy and Leadership Studies
- Date degree season
- Spring 2023
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.006714
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- x, 66 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2023 John Rice
- Language
- English
- Public Abstract (ETD)
- Central offices play a critical but often overlooked role in student achievement in school districts. Prior research has suggested that central offices that have shared beliefs about improving student achievement and can clearly communicate and implement those beliefs can achieve improved results in student achievement. The case study takes place in Hamilton County Schools in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and uses a qualitative research design, collecting data through interviews with central office senior leaders. The research question guiding this study is: In what ways does Hamilton County Schools’ central office provide, communicate, and implement a coherent theory of action? Using summative content analysis, the researcher found evidence of a focus on organizational coherence in the central office as well as several areas of incoherence that are barriers to more widespread implementation.
- Academic Unit
- Educational Policy and Leadership Studies
- Record Identifier
- 9984462059202771
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