Dr. Julie A Gray

In this research, the authors describe one principal preparation program's approach to continuous improvement through accreditation processes. The framework for this research was based upon the Leadership-Focused Coaching (LFC) model (Gray, 2016) and a clinical approach to expand and improve an online educational leadership program by using data collected at course and program level. The faculty worked collaboratively to review the following data: certification exam results, as well as survey data from current students, supervising administrators, recent graduates, alumni, and employers. Valuable feedback were gathered and reviewed from the department's advisory council, accrediting state and national organizations, and program curriculum reviews of courses at an annual data retreat and monthly meetings. Finally, the research describes a model that other principal preparation faculty could consider as they work to improve their programs.

Understanding how to maximize classroom climate factors that may positively affect student achievement scores in mathematics is vital to school improvement efforts. The focus of this study is to examine the impact teacher trust in clients and classroom friction have on elementary math achievement. Both student and teacher perceptions are explored. Surveys were collected from 482 students and their teachers, from 26 math classrooms, across 10 elementary schools in Texas. Intraclass correlations were calculated to identify the level of variation in math achievement between classrooms. Next, a random coefficient HLM model was employed to identify the specific impacts that classroom friction and teacher trust in students and parents (clients) have on elementary math achievement. Finally, an intercepts as slope HLM model was created to isolate potential interaction effects between Level l (classroom) and Level 2 (school) variables. The results of the analyses indicate that both teacher trust in clients and classroom friction make statistically significant impacts on the variance in elementary math achievement. Teacher years of experience on campus and socioeconomic status (SES) are also examined. Implications are discussed.

This study explores the role of trust in the principal, trust in colleagues, collegial leadership, and collective efficacy in the prediction of effectiveness. Trust, efficacy and leadership have a connection to academic optimism and overall effectiveness; however this configuration of independent variables elaborates the interrelations among these variables, and offers empirical support for a theoretical framework with multiple measures of effectiveness.