Academic Achievement and Money: The Debate Continues

Abstract: There is a continuing debate about equity and adequacy in public education.  With mixed findings, the debate has made its way into the court systems of most states. Most of the debate centers on how one defines equity and adequacy in state educational funding law. The definitions vary among the states according to their state constitutions and statutes. Further, they are constantly being redefined by the courts. Many questions about equity and adequacy remain, but most are linked to the question of whether more money translates into better academic performance by students. 

This study examines equity and adequacy questions, and whether dollars spent per student in public education affect academic achievement gains of students.   It examined differences in academic achievement in Georgia schools during a four year period, as measured by the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) and high school completion rates between low-wealth and high-wealth public school systems.

 A threshold driven comparison model patterned after the studies of Dr. J. C. Fortune was used as the research design. Thresholds were developed by dividing Georgia’s public school systems into quintiles as determined by wealth generated from three sources:  Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) revenue; equalization grant income; and, property tax mill value revenue. The study looked at relationships between the quintile variables, free or reduced lunch eligibility, and academic achievement variables.

              Statistical procedures including Pearson's product-moment correlations and repeated measures ANOVAs, indicated strong relationships between the quintile selection variables and property tax mill value, SPLOST revenue and mill value, and Weighted Full Equivalent Student (WFES) expenditures and SPLOST revenue. Relationships between free or reduced lunch eligibility and the academic achievement variables were significant with a stronger association between free or reduced lunch and GHSGT passage rate.

Abstract: For real school change to occur, both teachers and administrators must understand theoretically and practically “the nature of leadership and the complex systems in which leadership is exercised” (Bolman & Deal, 1994), however teacher leaders receive little or no preparation for leading. Inevitably, future administrators and teacher leaders must share the particular knowledge and skills that are manifest as educational leadership. This study used survey data to explore whether educational leadership (EDL) preparation programs enhance the leadership skills of participating teachers. The results revealed that teacher leaders in the EDL program gained opportunities for leadership and experienced increased support from their principals to apply leadership skills.  The findings suggest that there is a relationship between the knowledge and skills acquired by EDL students and increased involvement in and support for teacher leadership.

On the Path to Becoming a Professional Learning Community: Charting Change in one Suburban Middle School

Diana J. LaRocco, Ed.D., University of Hartford

Abstract: This article presents findings from a mixed methods case study of one suburban middle school whose principal had the strategic intent of moving professional staff towards becoming a professional learning community. Data were collected over a two-year period. A quantitative questionnaire was administered during two consecutive fall semesters, and qualitative interviews were conduced during two consecutive spring semesters. Significant differences in the means between Years 1 and 2 were observed for five of the items on the questionnaire: two of the items showed a mean decrease and three showed a mean increase. The qualitative data are used to elaborate on these data and make visible the inherently messy struggles with changing the culture of a school. Teachers reported being saturated with shared decision-making and a felt lack of agreement on strategies for reaching the vision for school improvement. Despite these struggles, they perceived that shared practice was emerging.

Validation of the Synergistic Leadership Theory

Abstract: In the past, leadership theories in education and business management were based largely upon the experiences of white males. As a consequence, the female point of view and experience are excluded. The synergistic leadership theory (SLT) (Irby, Brown, & Duffy, 1999), that addresses the female perspective and includes attributes, experiences, and abilities inherent in male, as well as female leaders, is accompanied with the Organizational and Leadership Effectiveness Inventory (OLEI). In this article, we employed quantitative data that were gathered from the OLEI. Two confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to validate the alignment of the constructs of the SLT with the OLEI.