Abstract

This study addressed the problem of insufficient information concerning the economic and professional impact of educational leadership program graduates. In Florida, there is often times a delay in obtaining an administrative appointment after graduating from an educational leadership program. The delay in appointments causes difficulty with tracking careers and economic impact. The research questions were: 1. What is the economic impact of activities, projects, and research performed by 1992 to 2012 graduates while enrolled in the educational leadership program? 2. How many educational leadership program graduates from 1992 to 2012 were appointed or elected to superintendent positions, senior staff or superintendent's cabinet, or school district level director positions (using the 2012-2013 school district student enrollment size rankings)? 3. How many educational leadership program graduates from 1992 to 2012 were appointed to principal or assistant principal positions in the selected school districts (using the 2012-2013 school district student enrollment size rankings)? 4. What are the Florida School Grade trends among educational leadership program graduates from 1992 to 2012 of a large urban research university in Florida who were school principals? This study utilized descriptive statistics and was designed to analyze program performance outcomes delivered by graduates of a large urban research university's educational leadership program (1992-2012) and their responses to a survey. The value of activities, projects, and research completed while enrolled in the educational leadership graduate program was determined to arrive at economic impact. Graduates were matched with administrative positions including K-12 superintendent, senior staff or superintendent's cabinet, school district level directors, public school principal or assistant principal. In addition, Florida school grades for those graduates that held principal positions in a specific geographical area during the 1998-2012 period were identified. Measures of central tendency and descriptive statistics were conducted, as appropriate, for each of the four research questions. Research findings indicated there were data to support that while enrolled in the educational leadership graduate program, economic impact was provided to school districts. Furthermore, graduates who were identified as principals in K-12 public schools had student outcomes that outperformed the state average as indicated by school grades. The data trend of meeting high expectations determined by student achievement results increased each year as evidenced by a greater number of schools earning "A" grades. Recommendations made for future research were for universities to create and maintain a university database and survey graduates to gather data. The data would be used to align the preparation program curricular and instructional practices with the professional experiences needed to prepare leaders to be position ready. Additionally, universities must continuously communicate with graduates in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the preparation program, measure economic impact and capture career paths. This would be performed through a longitudinal study.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2016

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Taylor, Rosemarye

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Education and Human Performance

Department

Teaching, Learning, and Leadership

Degree Program

Educational Leadership; Previous Leadership Certificate

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0006440

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0006440

Language

English

Release Date

12-15-2017

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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