A Social Ecological Exploration of Colorado Rural School Leaders Lived Experiences

365 Pages·2017·4.35 MB·English

University of Denver
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Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies
1-1-2015
Foundations of Inequity: A Social Ecological Exploration of
Colorado Rural School Leaders Lived Experiences
Bryan E. DeShasier
University of Denver
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FOUNDATIONS OF INEQUITY: A SOCIAL ECOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF
COLORADO RURAL SCHOOL LEADERS LIVED EXPERIENCES

__________

A Dissertation
Presented to
the Faculty of the Morgridge College of Education
University of Denver

__________

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy

__________

by
Bryan E. DeShasier
November 2015
Advisor: Dr. Judy Marquez Kiyama
©Copyright by Bryan DeShasier 2015
All Rights Reserved
Author: Bryan E. DeShasier
Title: FOUNDATIONS OF INEQUITY: A SOCIAL ECOLOGICAL EXPLORATION
OF COLORADO RURAL SCHOOL LEADERS LIVED EXPERIENCES
Advisor: Dr. Judy Marquez Kiyama
Degree Date: November 2015
ABSTRACT
The aim of this mixed methods research study was to explore the lived
experiences of Colorado’s rural school leaders with the objective of explicating factors
embedded within their lived experiences towards, where appropriate, an evolution of
principal preparation programs; to lay the foundation for later research study inquiries; to
determine if the phenomenon being observed may be expounded upon by a current
theory; and to conclude if lived experiences contain answers towards a resolution of the
two problems which informed this study. This exploratory approach yielded two primary
themes with supporting points that are presented and discussed within this and the
following chapter. These emergent themes include: (a) the scope and profundity of the
rural school leader role, and (b) rural school leader perceptions of role preparedness.
This study’s discoveries revealed numerous access points to support both the
significance of and attention to Colorado’s rural school leaders lived experiences.
However, it is acknowledged that the discoveries, which emerged as part of this
exploratory study, may also exist in non-rural contexts. Further, while this study was
guided by an attention on rural school leaders, some of the emergent discoveries may also
extend to teachers and staff both in rural and non-rural contexts. The problems guiding
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this research study were: (a) the decline in the availability of education funding; and (b)
the decline in availability of rural-prepared leaders for Colorado’s rural schools. Thus, the
research question that guided this exploration was how can the lived experiences of
Colorado’s rural school leaders inform the evolution of principal preparation programs?
Organized and presented as supporting points under the first theme described as
the scope and profundity of some of the rural school leader roles, includes the description
of rural school leader’s role responsibilities, illustration of factors that contribute to
perceptions of role complexity, illustration of factors that contribute to perceptions of role
fulfillment difficulty, resource availability and leader choices affecting role delegation,
illustration of factors that contribute to role frustration, role burnout, and role departure,
and rural as an intentional choice. Under the second theme, described as perceptions of
role preparedness, supporting points includes the presentation of retirement timelines and
perceptions of current role successor availability, role preparedness within the parameters
of rural experiences and rural-specific role preparation, role socialization, and
professional development.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Dr. Judy Marquez Kiyama – I cannot begin to thank you for your commitment,
understanding, and patience. Changing advisors three times over the course of my
program completion and two times during the course of my study offered me an
opportunity to adapt and accept change more readily – although not without stress. I
cannot begin to imagine what it was like for you to figure out a way to take on a student
who was well-past data collection without ever having had previous experience or
exposure to my personality, writing style, and capabilities. You navigated these
challenges flawlessly and again, I thank you for your authentic commitment to my
education, your consistent encouragement, but most of all, thank you for listening.
Dr. Samuel Museus – Thank you for your participation on my committee, your
feedback, and your encouragement to think more deeply regarding how my study’s
discoveries could affect policy change. Dr. Susan Korach - Thank you for your
participation on my committee, your feedback, and your encouragement to think more
broadly about the issues that emerged as part of this research. Moreover, thank you for
pushing me beyond what I thought I could do. Dr. Paul Colomy - Thank you for your
participation on my committee, your feedback, and your encouragement to consider how
my current study could benefit from future studies across rural and non-rural contexts and
to think about my study’s discoveries more broadly. Dr. Lyndsay J. Agans – Thank you
for your early participation and guidance in this research study and in the program.
Serving as both your teaching and research assistant over the course of five years, meant
more to me than you know.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1
Problem Statement .................................................................................................. 2
Purpose Statement ................................................................................................... 4
Research Question .................................................................................................. 5
Rationale and Significance ..................................................................................... 5
Overview of Methodology ...................................................................................... 6
Assumptions ............................................................................................................ 6
Definitions of Terminology .................................................................................... 7
Organization of the Dissertation ............................................................................. 9
Awareness ............................................................................................................. 10
Acceptance ............................................................................................................ 11

CHAPTER 2. RURAL DESCRIBED............................................................................... 13
Geographic Definition of Rural ............................................................................ 14
Rural Images and Perceptions ............................................................................... 16
Rural Sociology: A History of a Socially Constructed Environment ................... 17
Rural Culture and Community .............................................................................. 23
Culture....................................................................................................... 24
Community. .............................................................................................. 27
Value of Education and Value of Community ...................................................... 28
Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................. 31

CHAPTER 3. LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................... 33
Role of the Rural School ....................................................................................... 36
Rural School Culture............................................................................................. 37
Rural Community.................................................................................................. 40
History of the School Principal Leader ................................................................. 43
Role Complexity. .................................................................................................. 46
Role of the Rural School Leader ........................................................................... 49
Dual Leader Role .................................................................................................. 53
Leadership Defined ............................................................................................... 56
Instructional Leadership........................................................................................ 58
Transformational Leadership ................................................................................ 59
Education Funding in Colorado ........................................................................................ 62
Colorado’s Financial Commitment to Rural in 2015 ............................................ 63
Colorado Education Funding ................................................................................ 65
Equitable Funding. .................................................................................... 65
Negative Factor. .................................................................................................... 66
Education Funding Litigation. .............................................................................. 69
Colorado’s School Finance System. ..................................................................... 71
Other Funding Sources and State-Share. .............................................................. 72
School Leader Preparation ................................................................................................ 74
Role Interest. ............................................................................................. 76
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Role Socialization. .................................................................................... 77
Rural Leader Preparation – Colorado ................................................................... 79
Alternative Licensure. ........................................................................................... 80
High Performing High Needs (HPHN) Schools ................................................... 82
Rural Charter Schools ........................................................................................... 86
Principal Quality Standards – Colorado ............................................................... 87
Conceptual Framework ..................................................................................................... 89
Place and Space..................................................................................................... 91
Place .......................................................................................................... 91
Space ......................................................................................................... 92
Lived Experiences ................................................................................................. 96
Experiential Pedagogies ........................................................................................ 97
Agency and Participation ...................................................................................... 98
Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................. 99

CHAPTER 4. RESEARCH METHOD .......................................................................... 101
Research Purpose ................................................................................................ 101
Role of the Researcher ........................................................................................ 102
Researcher Positionality and Reflexivity ............................................................ 103
Researcher Biases ............................................................................................... 104
Researcher Understanding of Rural .................................................................... 105
Philosophical Framework ................................................................................... 106
Research Design.................................................................................................. 107
Method .................................................................................................... 107
Convergent Parallel Design .................................................................... 108
Participant Population, Human Subject Protection, and Ethical
Considerations......................................................................................... 111
Colorado Rural School Leaders .............................................................. 112
Human Subject Protection ...................................................................... 113
Ethical Considerations ............................................................................ 114
Instrumentation and Data Sources .................................................................................. 115
Quantitative Phase – Survey Instrumentation ..................................................... 115
Qualitative Phase – Instrumentation ................................................................... 117
Mixed Methods Data Collection Strategy ....................................................................... 118
Quantitative phase. .................................................................................. 118
Qualitative phase. .................................................................................... 121
Data Coding Procedures ................................................................................................. 124
Primary Coding Cycle......................................................................................... 125
Secondary and Tertiary Coding/Re-Coding Cycles ............................................ 126
Data Analysis Procedures ............................................................................................... 127
Quantitative Data Analysis ................................................................................. 127
Qualitative Data Analysis ................................................................................... 128
Member checking.................................................................................... 128
Assumptions .................................................................................................................... 129
Method Limitations and Delimitations ........................................................................... 130
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Researcher Limitations and Delimitations ...................................................................... 130
Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 131

CHAPTER 5. COLORADO’S RURAL ......................................................................... 132
Colorado’s Education Funding Commitment to Rural ....................................... 133
Overview of Colorado’s Rural ........................................................................................ 135
Rural and Small Rural School Distribution, University Locations, and Ski Resorts
............................................................................................................................. 136
Northeast quadrant. ................................................................................ 137
Southwest quadrant. ................................................................................ 138
Northwest quadrant. ............................................................................... 139
Southeast quadrant. ................................................................................ 139
Administrator and/or principal preparation programs in Colorado .................... 139
Northeast quadrant. ................................................................................ 141
Southwest quadrant. ................................................................................ 141
Northwest quadrant. ............................................................................... 141
Southeast quadrant. ................................................................................ 142
Colorado’s Rural Education Council .................................................................. 142
Participant Demographics ............................................................................................... 147
Age ...................................................................................................................... 147
Sex....................................................................................................................... 149
Ethnicity .............................................................................................................. 149
Race..................................................................................................................... 149
Education Levels ................................................................................................. 151
Experience........................................................................................................... 152
Income................................................................................................................. 153
1-to-2 years’ experience. ......................................................................... 154
3-to-9 years’ experience. ......................................................................... 154
More than 10 years’ experience. ............................................................. 155
Role Title. ............................................................................................... 156
Contributing Perspectives ............................................................................................... 157
Constant Scrutiny ................................................................................................ 158
Personal Privacy.................................................................................................. 159
Feelings of Being an Outsider ............................................................................. 161
Interview Participants ..................................................................................................... 162
Interview Participant Profiles ................................................................. 163
Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 166

CHAPTER 6. RESULTS PRESENTATION ................................................................. 168
Theme 1 - Scope and Profundity of the Rural School Leader Role................................ 169
Role Responsibilities .......................................................................................... 169
Role Complexity ................................................................................................. 171
Role Fulfillment Difficulty. .................................................................... 175
Rural as an Intentional Choice. ............................................................... 184
Role Departure .................................................................................................... 188
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Inadequate Funding ............................................................................................. 189
Negative Factor. ...................................................................................... 191
Inability to Purchase Supplies, Out-of-Pocket Spending. ....................... 192
Grant Funding. ........................................................................................ 193
Adequate Funding – A Data Anomaly.................................................... 196
Rural School Leader’s Messages to the Colorado Department of
Education. ............................................................................................... 197
Theme 2 - Perceptions of Role Preparedness ................................................................. 198
Retirement Timeline and Role Succession ......................................................... 199
Role Successor Availability and Perceptions of Role Succession. ......... 199
Perceptions of Role Preparedness ....................................................................... 202
Role Preparedness – Minimally Equipped Perceptions. ......................... 204
Perceptions of Traditional Preparation Programs. .................................. 205
Perceptions of Sufficient Education. ....................................................... 206
Perceptions of Insufficient Education. .................................................... 207
Role Socialization ............................................................................................... 209
Professional Development .................................................................................. 211
Rural School Leader’s Messages to Rural School Leader Aspirants ................. 215
Summary of Discoveries ..................................................................................... 217
Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 218

CHAPTER 7. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS ................................................... 221
Summary of Discoveries - Restated .................................................................... 222
Discussion ....................................................................................................................... 223
Lived Experiences ............................................................................................... 223
Places and Spaces ............................................................................................... 226
Experiential Pedagogies ...................................................................................... 228
Agency and Participation .................................................................................... 230
Implications..................................................................................................................... 232
Federal and State Policy Implications................................................................. 234
Institutional Policy Implications ......................................................................... 236
Practice Implications ........................................................................................... 238
Satellite and Mobile Campuses. .............................................................. 238
Improved Communications and Connections with Colorado’s Rural. ... 239
Rural School-Leader Preparation and Professional Development Model .......... 240
Conceptual Framework Implications .............................................................................. 242
Protective Leadership.......................................................................................... 243
Recommendations for Further Inquiry............................................................................ 244
Adequate Rural School Funding ......................................................................... 245
Hours Spent Outside of School ........................................................................... 246
Role Performance................................................................................................ 246
Gender Perceptions on Alternative Licensure .................................................... 247
Alternative Licensure - Rural School Leader Preparation and Performance ...... 248
Efficacy of Non-Rural Context Designed Preparation on Rural School Leadership
............................................................................................................................. 249
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