Principals' Perceptions of School Leadership in post-Katrina New Orleans
Open Access
Author:
Beabout, Brian Robert
Graduate Program:
Instructional Systems
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
March 30, 2008
Committee Members:
Alison Alene Carr Chellman, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Kyle Leonard Peck, Committee Member David Alexander Gamson, Committee Member Edgar I Farmer Sr., Committee Member
Keywords:
educational leadership school reform urban education chaos theory
Abstract:
This study examines the perceptions of public school principals in New Orleans, Louisiana during the period of extensive structural change in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Using the theoretical frameworks of Chaos and Systems theories, iterative interviews with ten school leaders, extensive document analysis, and school-site observations were used to collect data on principals’ experiences. The following themes emerged during constant comparative analysis: 1) the omnipresence of storm recovery in principals’ lives, 2) the lingering presence of the pre-Katrina school system, 3) the emerging inequalities of the post-Katrina system, 4) schools’ new relationships with the external environment, 5) Principals plans for long-term (rather than rapid) improvement, and 6) principals’ requirements for successful long-term change. The analysis also identifies the need for a minimum stability at the outset of the change process as well as the important strange attractors of inequality and low-risk relationships which must be addressed for meaningful, long-term change to occur.
