Publication Date

2002

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Cooper, Robb, 1951-

Degree Name

Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)

Legacy Department

Department of Leadership in Educational and Sport Organizations

LCSH

Educational leadership; School administrators; Reading--Ability testing

Abstract

This study was designed to determine the influence of school administrators' leadership behaviors on student achievement in reading. More specifically, this research investigates the scope of the relationship between Illinois principals' and superintendents' behaviors with respect to reading and the reading achievement of Illinois students as determined by the Illinois Standards Achievement Test. Undertaken in a context where standardized assessments are increasingly viewed as the most noteworthy indicator of student achievement, this study acknowledges that reading scores of Illinois students have not significantly improved since the inception of state-mandated testing. Furthermore, the researcher recognizes that literacy standards continue to rise, that educators continue to struggle to find the best methods for teaching reading, and that demands for accountability are mounting. To gather data for the study, the researcher worked in cooperation with the Illinois State Board of Education to obtain a stratified random sample of Illinois elementary schools, individual school scores, and district average reading scores. Also, the researcher developed two instruments, The Principals' Reading Leadership Behavior Indicator and The Superintendents' Reading Leadership Behavior Indicator that were used to quantify administrative leadership behavior. Using a Pearson correlation as the statistical technique, the researcher analyzed the degree to which measured levels of administrative leadership behavior correlate with measured levels of student performance on standardized tests. Although the researcher could not refute any of the six null hypotheses tested, one significant correlation appeared between superintendents' library development and eighth-grade district average ISAT (Illinois Standards Assessment Test) scores. This finding, while having limited, if any, generalizability tends to suggest that the development of school library programs may make a difference in students' reading achievement.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references (pages [151]-170).

Extent

viii, 189 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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