UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
Becoming a High School Principal in a Context of Externally Mandated Reform: An Examination of Educational Leadership at the Beginning of the 21st Century
A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in
Education
by
Cheryl Lynn Peil
June 2004
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Flora Ida Ortiz, Chairperson Dr. Robert C. Calfee Dr. John McNeil
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
UMI Number: 3130273
Copyright 2004 by Peil, Cheryl Lynn
All rights reserved.
INFORMATION TO USERS
The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion.
UMI
UMI Microform 3130273 Copyright 2004 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code.
ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Copyright by Cheryl Lynn Peil 2004
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
The Dissertation of Cheryl Lynn Peil is approved;
y]
Committ|^Chairperson
University of California, Riverside
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have not yet figured out how to do research by myself. -Gloria Ladson-Billings
Many people contributed substantially to the success of the present study. The
person to whom I owe the greatest intellectual debt is Dr. Flora Ida Ortiz who bore the
brunt of following the study from its inception to its completion. I will always be
indebted to Dr. Rodney Ogawa, Dr. John McNeil and Dr. Robert Calfee. They provided
insightful criticism, assistance, support, and encouragement.
I wish to acknowledge the acceptance, cooperation and support I received
throughout the investigation from the administration of Glenview Unified School District
and Lakeview High School. In particular, I wish to thank the Principal of Lakeview High
School, the focal person of this case study research, for granting me interviews,
information, and access to professionals at her school. She tolerated my intense
“shadowing” during one phase of the study and greeted me with a cheerful, “Oh, hi,
Cherie, are you still following me around!”
The Victor Elementary School District (VESD) approved a sabbatical leave for
the first year of my doctoral study—an unprecedented action on its part. I wish to thank
the VESD Governing Board and Dr. Ralph Baker, Superintendent; the Administrative
Cabinet; my professional colleagues and the Victor Elementary Teachers Association for
all of their encouragement and support. It is my hope that VESD will benefit through the
years from the investment it was willing to make in my professional development.
IV
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
DEDICATED TO
My School District and the Community It Serves
Victor Elementary School District, Victorville, California
My Family and Friends
Mom & Dad
David & Rachael + Beloved Paul David
Warren & Jill + Beloved Madison Arm
Ira
John & Patrick & Scotty
Hugh & Sheryl, Richard & Lori
Paul Hokama, John Serio, Maureen Mills
Nancee Fine, David & Carol Hunter-Inman
Mv Professors
Professor Ortiz, Research Advisor: Doctor of Philosophy Degree
Professor Flannery, American Government
Professor Halpem, Research Advisor: Master of Science Degree
Professor Cowan, Undergraduate Advisor
Professor Luster, Statistics
Mv Kindergarten Teacher
Mrs. Rychecky at Sunflower School
You taught me how to read. You valued my family.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION
Becoming a High School Principal in a Context of Externally Mandated Reform: An Examination of Educational Leadership at the Begirming of the 21st Century
by
Cheryl Lynn Peil
Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Program in Education University of California, Riverside, Jime 2004 Dr. Flora Ida Ortiz, Chairperson
A qualitative case study analysis was conducted in order to examine the process of
professional role formation, within a context of externally mandated reform, at a
California comprehensive high school. The focal person is Ms. Annabelle Adams,
appointed Principal of Lakeview High School (LHS) in August 1999. The research time
frame was four academic years (1999-2000 through 2002-2003). California’s Public
School Accountability Act (PSAA) defined the outer boundary of the contextual terrain
within which the study was nested. The effects of PSAA quickly led to the search for a
new high school principal. The formal processes of principal search and appointment
resulted in the selection of a candidate with a non-traditional eareer background. As
California’s implementation of PSAA rapidly expanded and created a local crisis, Ms.
Adams immediately leveraged the demands of PSAA into a platform of legitimacy and
VI
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
thereby established herself as the principal of Lakeview High School. Her personal
variables, led to significant organizational changes as she demonstrated her educational
leadership toward the valued ends of schooling, which are; School improvement,
democratic community, and social justice.
Vll
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments...................................................................................................................iv
Dedication..................................................................................................................................v
Abstract.....................................................................................................................................vi
Table of Contents...................................................................................................................viii
List of Figures..........................................................................................................................xii
Chapter One: Introduction to the Research..............................................................................1
Problem Background..........................................................................................................4
The Economics of Percentile Ranks...........................................................................6
A Pilot Study...............................................................................................................12
Purpose of the Dissertation Research........................................................................13
Conceptual Framework ........................................................................................14
Review of the Literature...................................................................................................17
The Current Study.............................................................................................................20
The Contextual Terrain of Educational Organizations..................................................21
Political Terrain..........................................................................................................22
Economic Terrain........................................................................................................23
Financial Terrain.........................................................................................................23
Accountability Terrain...............................................................................................24
Response to the Context: Educational Reform..................................................25
California’s Context: The 1980s through 2002.................................................37
Demographic Terrain.................................................................................................43
viii
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Staffing Terrain...........................................................................................................45
Levels of Educational Organizations..............................................................................46
The Institutional Level...............................................................................................48
The Managerial Level................................................................................................48
The Technical Level..................................................................................................49
Effective Principal Leadership in a Context of Externally Mandated Reform............50
School Leadership and the Valued Ends of Schooling............................................55
Redefining the Indicants of Winning, Wealth, & Leadership................................58
Undervalued Winners..........................................................................................58
Invisible, Underestimated, Misunderstood Millionaires...................................61
Unlikely Exemplary Leaders...............................