A Causal Comparative Study of Fourth Grade Achievement and Distribution of Leadership to Students

Golmen, Brigette

A Causal Comparative Study of Fourth Grade Achievement and Distribution of Leadership to Students

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In today’s era of federal mandates for increased standardized testing, consistently higher levels of student achievement, and demands for schools to prepare students for the needs of a 21st century society, schools are feeling the pressure to meet the vast needs of all students. Not only are schools asked to meet the academic needs of their students, they are also being challenged to meet social and emotional needs while preparing students for the varied needs of the 21st Century. Efforts toward continuous improvement to meet the increasing standards and expectations are a task too large to be undertaken by the school leader, independent of the support and engagement of staff and students. This research is based on a theoretical framework including research into the work of James MacGregor Burns, Stephen Covey, Richard Elmore, and John Bransford. The literature review further included work by many important contributors to the field of education including John Hattie, Robert Marzano, Richard DuFour, John Kotter, and Michael Fullan who credit transformational and distributed leadership as leadership characteristics which facilitate a collaborative culture leading to continuous improvement. Many researchers further indicate distribution of leadership to students can lead to increases in student academic achievement. This research examines the difference in academic achievement as measured by the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) between schools that implement a system of leadership distributed to students, specifically through implementation of Leader in Me and schools that do not implement a program of leadership distributed to students. A statistical analysis of fourth grade Mathematics and English Language Arts percentages from the 2017-2018 school year was completed using an independent samples t-test.In today’s era of federal mandates for increased standardized testing, consistently higher levels of student achievement, and demands for schools to prepare students for the needs of a 21st century society, schools are feeling the pressure to meet the vast needs of all students. Not only are schools asked to meet the academic needs of their students, they are also being challenged to meet social and emotional needs while preparing students for the varied needs of the 21st Century. Efforts toward continuous improvement to meet the increasing standards and expectations are a task too large to be undertaken by the school leader, independent of the support and engagement of staff and students. This research is based on a theoretical framework including research into the work of James MacGregor Burns, Stephen Covey, Richard Elmore, and John Bransford. The literature review further included work by many important contributors to the field of education including John Hattie, Robert Marzano, Richard DuFour, John Kotter, and Michael Fullan who credit transformational and distributed leadership as leadership characteristics which facilitate a collaborative culture leading to continuous improvement. Many researchers further indicate distribution of leadership to students can lead to increases in student academic achievement. This research examines the difference in academic achievement as measured by the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) between schools that implement a system of leadership distributed to students, specifically through implementation of Leader in Me and schools that do not implement a program of leadership distributed to students. A statistical analysis of fourth grade Mathematics and English Language Arts percentages from the 2017-2018 school year was completed using an independent samples t-test.

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