The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental, causal-comparative study with a self-reported survey design was to investigate how the leadership styles of secondary-school leaders influence school culture. Participants involved secondary-school administrators across four intermediate units in Eastern Pennsylvania: LIU 18, NEIU 19, CIU 20, and…

Discipline practices wield significant influence over the social dynamics within educational settings and profoundly impact students' ability to attain academic and social gains crucial for their success. The racialization of school discipline has been linked to negative effects on student's academic trajectories and life outcomes. Consequently,…

A school's culture evolves over time and guides the ways in which those who interact within the school think, feel, and act. It is grounded in shared meanings, foundational beliefs, and value systems created by a school (Deal & Peterson, 2009). The principal plays a key and critical role in influencing and shaping school culture. The…

Jesuit Catholic higher education in the United States is immersed in two seemingly incongruent missions: the advancement of the educational apostolic mission of the Catholic church and the advancement of U.S. secular culture. Understanding how Jesuit institutions have engaged the Catholic identity is becoming a concern because colleges need to…

This qualitative study examines elementary educators' perceptions of their school principals' impact on school culture and elementary educator retention. A constructivist grounded-theory approach was used to interview 10 volunteers from a purposive sample of elementary educators from Midwest school districts. Participants were asked to describe…

To determine the impact that school leaders have on school culture and teacher retention, a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was used to study schools in a district feeder pattern in in a large, suburban district in Texas with a student population of approximately 25,000. In Phase 1, teachers at one elementary, one middle, and one…

The purpose of this multisite phenomenological case of study of elementary principals was to describe the essence of leadership of novice principals, studying themes of leadership attributes and conditions within the school community and preparation that reinforce the success of the school. While many studies have focused on the leadership…

Restorative practices (RP) have been shown through research to produce positive results on school culture and reductions in measures of exclusionary discipline especially when a whole-school and culture change approach is utilized. Further, the benefits of RP include fostering community, belonging, and supporting the development of positive…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational-predictive study was to examine if and to what extent one or more administrators' emotional intelligence (EI) abilities of emotional perceiving and expressing (EPE), emotional utilization (EUT), emotional understanding (EUN) and emotional regulation (ERE), predicted teacher rating of school…

Administrators are responsible for the culture of the school organization, contributing to the success or failure of the institution. Understanding the experiences that administrators have with teacher retention will provide data that can allow both current and future organizations to create an atmosphere more likely to retain its teachers. While…

Philanthropy does not exist without democracy in civil society in America. Higher education is a major builder of a civil society. The central research question is: What do university presidents need to know about philanthropy to provide relational leadership supportive of the advancement of democracy in American civil society? The study…

This phenomenological qualitative study examined how collective healing manifests through the work of leaders in higher education at a U.S. university located on the West Coast through semi-structured interviews. Using the construct of collective healing as a conceptual lens, this study explored how the work of leaders in higher education creates…

The role of school principals in shaping school culture is well recognized, yet barriers often prevent them from effectively influencing this critical aspect of educational leadership. This project investigates the perceptions of elementary principals regarding the barriers and behaviors that influence school culture. Using qualitative research…

This research study, using institutional theory as a framework, examines the role of superintendents in promoting and impacting innovation in Virginia's public schools. The study engaged fourteen current Virginia superintendents in semi-structured interviews, exploring their perspectives on fostering an innovative culture within their school…

The culture of a school influences how people think, feel, and act -- whether that be expressed as positive or negative behavior (Barth, 2002; Peterson, 2002). Research shows that teachers are more inspired to instruct and students are more motivated to learn in schools that foster a positive culture (Barth, 2002). Conversely, schools with…