Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Leadership and governance'

This position paper explores whether the current model of governance of public education is antiquated and in need of change. At present, the issue has not been included in any discussions regarding public education reform. Local boards of education are becoming obsolete due to federal and state mandates. School reform efforts have ignored the local governance factor, instead focusing on state-implemented curricula tied to federal funding. The literature shows us that local school boards focus on administrative issues and micromanagement which, along with such distractions as nepotism and “unholy alliances” with unions, indicates a need for change. However, the democratic foundation of our government makes it hard for legislators to implement a change that would be perceived as an attack on these basic principles. This position paper puts forth suggestions to these and other concerns related to local public education governance.

The importance of party followership in political leadership in Africa has increased dramatically during the past decade (Lindberg, 2010; Tagoe, 2011). However, research on the contribution to good governance in Africa, of the interaction between party followership and the political leadership, is largely less known and minimally undertaken. Drawing on corruption and governance assessment models, this mixed method study examined political leadership corruption, focusing on the possible influences that party followership may have on the political leadership corruption. The core hypothesis we tested was that that there is no relationship between the expectations of political party followers and the corrupt behaviors of political leaders (represented by Members of Parliament). Applying data collected through the survey instrument from 92 MPs and 92 party delegates, as well as a follow-up interview of five MPs and five delegates in Ghana, our hypotheses were rejected. In other words, results showed a statistically significant relationship between the expectations of political party followers and the corrupt behaviors of party leaders. As an implication of this finding, it is imperative for Africa and Ghana in particular, to formulate practical policy measures that embrace party followership in political leadership studies. We recommended that delegates need orientations and training on their roles in political leadership, corruption, and governance. Effective civic education, transparency frameworks during elections and clear policy guidelines that allow stakeholders to monitor the electioneering process, effect change within the institutions, build positive and trusting relations, and strengthen their reputation could significantly lower political leadership corruption in Ghana.

Research literature has documented Nigeria’s leadership crisis since its independence from Great Britain in 1960. This crisis corresponds with political instability and infrastructure weaknesses, which have resulted in crime, corruption, poverty, lack of social cohesion and personal freedoms, environmental degradation, gender inequities, and deteriorating conditions of public works. No literature was located that addressed the impact of leadership on the governance and development of infrastructure in Nigeria. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate this phenomenon in Nigeria between 1960 and 2010. The theoretical framework comprised Burns’ and Bass’ theories of transformational leadership, and Davis’ and Toikka’s theories of transformation and transition in governance. Data were collected through personal interviews with a purposeful sample of 13 past presidents of Nigeria, public officials, and infrastructure development experts, and by reviewing secondary data on leadership and development in Nigeria during the period 1960–2010. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method to identify patterns and themes. Findings showed that (a) political instability and the Nigerian civil war have been obstacles to infrastructure development and implementation; (b) military dictatorships implemented improvements, although they neglected rural areas; (c) a new national infrastructure plan must be funded, developed, and implemented; (d) corruption must be combatted in awarding project contracts; and (e) Nigeria’s governance should be based on a pragmatic-visionary form of leadership. The implications for positive social change include informing policy makers about the importance of infrastructure development in Nigeria in order to improve economic growth and the lives of citizens.

ISBN 978-91-982282-7-4

School board governance matters. Past research has demonstrated that effective school boards are associated with higher student achievement. However, this research has been less clear about what those agreed upon effective practices are. The current study set out to identify effective school board governance practices and to determine the extent expert panelists agreed with these practices. Obstacles to effective governance were also identified and agreed upon. Differences in responses from panelists in five sizes of school districts were also explored.

Using a Delphi methodology, expert panelists in Montana provided information in the form of narratives and lists about their perceptions of effective school board practices as well as their encountered obstacles during round one. Qualitative analysis techniques were used to create a set of effective practices and a set of encountered obstacles. Further refinement was accomplished by using two additional rounds in which panelists provided feedback, reconsidered their responses and provided additional comments. A set of 17 highly agreed upon effective practices and a set of two highly agree upon obstacles resulted.

From this data, a model of effective school board governance was developed. This model aligns well with past research that was conducted based upon outside sources of judgment, such as high test scores.

However, some important deviations from past recommendations are also noted. Data from the current study places an increased emphasis on the actual operations of school boards, such as on the types of discussions that are held, as well as the mechanics of productive and collaborative school board meetings.

The power of school boards occurs when acting collectively as a group in a school board meeting and this study supports focusing improvement efforts in making that time more effective. School board members many gain knowledge and experience individually, but it is only through working together that they shape and guide the cultures that are needed to improve our public schools for the future.

Institutional accreditation in the last decades has been studies as an important assessment that ensures the quality of higher education institutions. The growth of the economy around the world has placed value on evaluating universities’ accountability and effectiveness. Therefore, one of the most significant current discussions in higher education institutions is obtaining international accreditation. Consequently, Saudi Arabia’s institutional accreditation system is seeking to improve higher education institutions’ quality assurance and accountability by preparing them for international accreditation. However, only 12 universities out of 34 have been accredited at the institutional level by the NCAAA. As a result, one of the major challenges facing Saudi institutions is their ability to meet accreditation standards concerning institutional effectiveness, governance, and leadership. Therefore, this quantitative study examined the extent to which Saudi universities prepare for international accreditation in the areas of governance and leadership. A comparison of accredited and non-accredited universities was done using a Mann-Whitney U test based on faculty and administrators’ perceptions of leadership and governance. The study concluded that Saudi universities are prepared to meet international institutional accreditation standards in the areas of governance and leadership. An effective strategy is needed to promote the accreditation process successfully.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to provide insight to the perspectives of leaders and individuals in authority within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles system of Catholic parochial schools regarding current models of governance, levels of authority, and decision-making processes. There is a lack of clearly-defined levels of decision-making authority from the bishops to the Archdiocesan Department of Catholic Schools down to the individual schools.

The pastors, principals, and Department of Catholic Schools personnel shared their perspectives of current governance structures and elements of three emerging alternative governance models. Data were analyzed through a factor analysis of the survey items to explore the strength of the three categories of the governance models represented by the three groups of questions. Next, the descriptive statistics of the specific questions relating to each of the three governance models and community voice were compiled. A Cronbach's alpha was calculated for each group of questions to measure internal consistency.

In order to explore relationships between perceptions among the three independent variable groups (pastors, principals, and Department of Catholic Schools personnel), a Chi-square analysis was run for each of the questions on an ordinal scale.

The study showed significant differences in participant responses between the three groups surveyed. However, there was agreement that community voice must be incorporated into governance, but only in a consultative manner. There was also agreement that a strong governing presence at the central office would be beneficial.

In 1983, the A Nation at Risk report stated that our educational institutions in the United States and especially in urban areas were not meeting the educational needs of our students. Since A Nation at Risk, elected school boards in urban areas were under fire from the media, parents, other civic and community leaders, and voters due to fiscal irresponsibility and poor student achievement. In selected urban cities across the nation, elected school boards were replaced in favor of mayoral control (e.g., Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington DC) and appointed school boards (Wong et al., 2007). In 1999, the Detroit Public Schools (DPS) was taken over by the state of Michigan in an effort to reform the district. In 1998 prior to the state takeover, DPS had 261 schools, 167,000 students enrolled in the district, and a $93 million budget surplus. In 2014 after several years of state control, DPS had 97 schools (−62%), 47,000 students enrolled (−71%) in the district, and a $232 million budget deficit (−349%). During this same time period, DPS had eight different district leaders under three different school governance models. This qualitative historical case study developed an understanding of the overall impact of school governance reform on the institutional progress in DPS from 1999–2014. Institutional Progress examines the overall functioning of a school district in the areas of: leadership, educational programs, finances, personnel, community support and political support. This study also described the external and internal barriers preventing DPS from making institutional progress. This qualitative study utilized four data sources: interviews of current and former Detroit Public School personnel (i.e., school board members, central and building administrators, teachers, parents and community activists), Detroit Board of Education meeting minutes reports, daily newspaper coverage of DPS from the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News, and city of Detroit archives on the annual State of the City Address given by Detroit mayors to determine whether or not institutional progress was achieved in DPS from 1999–2014. The findings of this study were the following: 1.) there was a lack of institutional progress in Detroit Public Schools; 2.) school governance reforms in DPS did not have a positive impact; and 3.) internal and external barriers prevented DPS from making institutional progress.

Many faith-based liberal arts institutions are tuition-dependent and are forced to compete with both public institutions as well as private for-profit colleges and universities to maintain student enrollment levels. Some faith-based institutions have adopted strategic enrollment management policies and procedures that emulate the best practices used by aggressive for-profit colleges. In many institutions, the point person for this marketing and recruiting strategy is the enrollment manager/admission director. The roles and titles vary across institutions, but using the descriptions of Presswood (2011) and Higher Education Publications (2016), the job functions are interchangeable. This study will therefor refer to the enrollment manager/admission director throughout.

The Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) is a coalition of 118 faith-based institutions founded in 1976 “to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education…” (Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, 2013). Between 1990 and 2004, CCCU institutions enjoyed growth rates that were considerably higher than those experienced by public institutions and other independent colleges.

This study asked four research questions. First, is there a relationship between the reported level of shared governance in decision making by CCCU enrollment managers/admission directors and the organizational commitment they claim to their institutions? Second, are the respondent characteristics of age, gender, and tenure related to the organizational commitment of CCCU enrollment managers/admission directors? Third, is the faith-based mission of the institution related to the degree of organizational commitment claimed by CCCU enrollment managers/admission directors? Forth, is institution size (student enrollment) related to the degree of organizational commitment claimed by CCCU enrollment managers/admission directors?

Enrollment managers/admission directors from all 118 CCCU institutions were invited to participate in this study. Surveys were collected via SurveyMonkey and data analysis was compiled using SPSS 23.0 software. Results indicated that CCCU enrollment managers/admission directors report high levels of organizational commitment and positive levels of shared governance in decision making. Respondents also reported that their commitment to their respective organizations was related to the historic faith-based mission of their institutions. Statistical analysis found no correlation between reported levels of organizational commitment and shared governance, demographic characteristics, institution size, or the historic faith-based mission of the university.