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Communitarian Educational Leadership in the Urban School Environment: A Case Study of Leadership within the Context of a Communitarian Reform Initiative in an Urban School District

Williams, Greg A
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1144810694

Abstract Details

2006, Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, Educational Leadership.
School districts in the United States have been subject to a myriad of reform efforts geared to “fix” the ills of public education. Several contemporary reform efforts have advocated for the development of organizations in which educators work collaboratively and interdependently to address the issues of teaching practice. One reform framework that emphasizes these qualities is “Professional Learning Communities” developed by Rick Dufour (2002). Communitarian leadership, leadership that intentionally seeks to develop interdependence through collaboration and common values, is necessary in developing the reform initiative in Midwestern School District. As an urban school district, a classification of school district that has historically shown the most difficulty in meeting the learning demands of its students, Midwestern School District provides a challenging environment for the implementation and success of communitarian leadership. Theoretical support for communitarian leadership in schools comes from a variety of authors focusing on organizations in general with others specifically interested in educational organizations. The contemporary work of Amitai Etzioni, a leading communitarian philosopher, and Philip Schlechty, who classifies schools using a number of cultural aspects in his sociological work, owes its foundation to Max Weber and his theories regarding organizational behavior. Rick Dufour’s “Professional Learning Communities” framework brings communitarian thinking into action as he calls for the development of focused learning communities in schools through intentional communitarian leadership. This study seeks to understand intentional communitarian leadership can develop within an urban school district in the third year of the reform and the viability of building community as a productive framework to successfully reform the Midwestern School District. The results of this study suggest that communitarian reform is a promising initiative for the Midwestern School District. Several characteristics of the reform initiative have developed strong support from district educators as core values of the district. Interdependent collaboration has become a prominent aspect of the culture in the district. District educators reported strong perceptions of efficacy concerning aspects of the reform effort, possibly buoyed by district improvement in state achievement indicators. Perceptions of optimism were not as strong among district educators. Several common aspects of urban districts and shared by the Midwestern School District may be influencing levels of optimism as district educators often cited lack of parental support and challenging students as obstacles to success. Perceptions of cohesion were also weaker among district educators, which may be connected to perceptions of “top-down” implementation of the reform. Strong influence from leaders with regard to developing values in the district was recognized by members of the district. Intentional communitarian leadership has begun to transform this district. The Midwestern School District has made progress in developing an interdependent culture guided by common values. Time and commitment will determine whether communitarian leadership will result in eventual organizational success in gaining high achievement for students and strong learning community throughout the disrict.
Raymond Terrell (Advisor)
165 p.
community; education; communitarian; leadership; urban; school

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Williams, G. A. (2006). Communitarian Educational Leadership in the Urban School Environment: A Case Study of Leadership within the Context of a Communitarian Reform Initiative in an Urban School District [Doctoral dissertation, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1144810694

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Williams, Greg. Communitarian Educational Leadership in the Urban School Environment: A Case Study of Leadership within the Context of a Communitarian Reform Initiative in an Urban School District. 2006. Miami University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1144810694.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Williams, Greg. "Communitarian Educational Leadership in the Urban School Environment: A Case Study of Leadership within the Context of a Communitarian Reform Initiative in an Urban School District." Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1144810694

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2006, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Miami University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12