Recent decades have witnessed administrative reforms and policy initiatives that attempt to improve the performance of organizations. The underlying assumption is that changes in management system as well as focus on results would contribute to better organizational outcomes. This philosophy is also deeply embedded in the reforms of public school systems. This study draws upon existing public management literature to propose two research questions: to what extent and how do leadership and management influence the performance level of public organizations. I propose that principal’s leadership influences student’s performance in standardized exams through mediating effects of teacher’s collaborative culture, performance management, school safety, and parent engagement. The methodological approach for this research was twofold. First, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test study models using data collected in the school year 2007-2008. The sample was comprised of all New York City (NYC) public schools. Secondary data – collected by the New York City Department of Education (DoE) – from different sources were used. These data came from survey questionnaires, on site investigation, and traditional statistics on test scores. Second, a content analysis of key documents was conducted. Documents relevant to the sweeping change in NYC public school system during Mayor Bloomberg’s administration were reviewed and coded. Through content analysis, policy evidence was uncovered to further reinforce the models identified in the first phase. Moreover, the interpretation of the texts also provides rich details about the philosophy and principles of this reform, thus presents a complete picture of the intricate process that takes place when principal’s leadership and school management work together in the way that fosters high productivity. This research makes two primary contributions: 1) it enhances our understanding of how better performance can be achieved in public schools and this has relevance for all public organizations; 2) by using data from multiple sources and different modes of analysis, the study design offers methodological advantages over prior research making it possible to draw more robust inferences.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Public Administration (SPAA)
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_5629
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
ix, 146 p. : ill.
Note (type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Note (type = vita)
Includes vita
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Rusi Sun
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Educational change--New York (State)--New York
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Teacher-principal relationships--New York (State)--New York
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
School principals--New York (State)--New York
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Leadership
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Graduate School - Newark Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore10002600001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.