Date

2-29-2024

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Darren D. Howland

Keywords

Culture, PLC, Closing Literacy Gaps, Efficacy, Shared Leadership

Disciplines

Education | Educational Leadership

Abstract

The purpose of this case study is to examine how school leaders create a school culture driven by shared leadership practices to improve literacy in an urban Title I elementary school. Shared leadership practices are defined as transformational and instructional leadership that ensures all stakeholders are included as active participants, and that collaborative objectives are carried out (DeWitt, 2017). The central research question is, how do school leaders create a school culture driven by shared leadership practices to improve literacy in urban elementary schools? The theory guiding this study is Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, as it impacts the direction of behavior and effort toward accomplishing goals. Utilizing Bandura’s self-efficacy theory adds to its philosophy by examining actions and behaviors that leaders and teachers employ to shape the culture of schools, generate a greater sense of collective efficacy, and increase student literacy achievement. The participants selected for this study are public school educators working at an urban Title I school experiencing success with closing literacy gaps. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit participants for interviews, focus groups, and observations. The collected data was analyzed using the case study framework. Categorical aggregation established themes, patterns, and meaning. Data triangulation allowed the examination of patterns, thoughts, and behaviors from interviews, focus groups, and observations. The thematic findings for this case study were valuing all team members, building shared knowledge and decision-making, desire for success, and commitment to closing literacy gaps.

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