The purpose of this qualitative narrative study is to explore how superintendents perceive the importance of early childhood education in their school districts amid the State of Illinois's continued cuts to education spending. Also, this study examines the perceptions of superintendents' decision-making processes as it relates to the funding of…

To increase capacity for public participation and improve problem-solving practices, some public school districts have launched stakeholder-training programs. This mixed methods study examined the impact of five school district parent training programs (four in Colorado and one in Illinois) designed to increase trust and engagement. Data were…

Standards for superintendents of schools are clearly spelled out by The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) and the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) standards. ISLLC and the ELCC standards both address the political actions expected of today's district superintendents. Little scientific research has been…

The purpose of the study is to add to the body of literature on the hiring processes utilized by public school boards of educations in filling the position of the superintendent. Hiring superintendents is one of the most important and challenging duties of a school board. This study will focus on the personal interview, selection methodology, and…

This research study examines the various decision-making processes that superintendents may encounter within the field. The degree to which public school superintendents and public school systems are being held accountable has increased in recent years. The recent unethical decisions made within the last decade in both the public and private…

This mixed methods research study investigated stage of ego development and "leadership capacity" in a purposeful, stratified sample of 12 Illinois school district superintendents. The purpose of this study was to determine the following: 1) are postconventional stages of ego development evidenced in school superintendents; 2) do the…

The purpose of this study is to examine how Illinois school districts are utilizing the Illinois 5Essentials Survey results, particularly for school improvement, to determine challenges to successful implementation, and to make recommendations for improvements to the 5E Survey and implementation process for statewide use. We also summarize…

The purpose of this study was to discover what school leaders considered during the decision-making process when adding a transitional kindergarten program and how the decision was made. This study investigated the decision-making process for superintendents and principals by examining decisions made by rural, suburban, and large school…

This research study explored the critical nature of the connection between student achievement and superintendent leadership. A great deal of scholarship has addressed either student achievement or leadership and previous evidence has suggested the impact of both parental education and racioethnicity on student achievement, but few studies have…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in how high and low performing elementary school districts use and analyze data to differentiate instruction, make changes to district/grade level curriculum, determine professional development needs, determine teacher effectiveness, and determine the use of school district…

Background: The No Child Left Behind legislation creates an increased need for new school-based empirical studies whose implementation will depend largely on researchers' access to various school populations and records. Access decisions are typically made by superintendents, or their designees, functioning as gatekeepers who control right of…

TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH SCHOOL SYSTEM ENVIRONMENTS MAY BE DISTINCT IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND CONFLICT PROPENSITY, THE VOTING RECORDS, SOCIOECONOMIC DATA, AND ASPECTS OF BOARD OF EDUCATION INTERACTION WITH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS OF FOUR SUBURBAN ILLINOIS COMMUNITIES WERE ANALYZED. A COMPARISON OF CONSTRAINTS AND SUPPORTS FOR THE…

Individual members of state legislatures wield the greatest influence in state level policy formation. This was one of the findings of a study that identified the power and influence context of state-level policymaking. Data were gathered from six states (Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois) using an instrument…

VARIATIONS IN THE STYLE AND CONTENT OF THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS, AND IN THE DIVISION OF AUTHORITY AMONG DIFFERING SOCIAL-STRUCTURAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS WERE STUDIED. DATA INCLUDED OBSERVATION OF MEETINGS, INTERVIEWS, AND CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE COMMUNITY PRESS. THE RESEARCH SITES SELECTED FOR THIS STUDY WERE FOUR SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY ELEMENTARY…

Budgetmaking and bargaining are central resource allocation processes in schools; this study examines how they affect one another. Ethnoscientific techniques were applied in nine Illinois school systems. The results were analyzed to show the flow of the decision process and construction of detailed plans of action. The structure and power…