Year of Award

2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Degree Name

Educational Leadership

Department or School/College

College of Education and Human Sciences

Committee Chair

William P. McCaw

Commitee Members

Patty Kero, John Matt, Bruce Whitehead, Beverly Chin

Keywords

Data, Leadership, Management, School, Teams

Publisher

University of Montana

Subject Categories

Educational Leadership

Abstract

A multiple case study was designed to examine the components of data literacy used by formal and informal leaders to support the work of Data Teams. Nine formal leaders and ten informal leaders constituted the participants. One overarching central question and seven subquestions guided the research. The answer to the central question, How do leaders’ influence the Data Team?, was informed by the seven subquestions: (1) How do leaders initiate discussions about data that create a catalyst for meaningful action?, (2) How do leaders determine the data used to support the work of the Data Team?, (3) How do leaders utilize analytical skills to support the work of Data Teams?, (4) How do leaders build others’ capacity to use data effectively?, (5) How do leaders supervise the Data Teams Process?, (6) How do leaders determine the success of a Data Team?, and (7) Why do Data Teams need to have the support of leaders?

There were three areas of focus in this research; (a) the six step Decision Making for Results Process, or Data Teams Process, developed by the Leadership and Learning Center, (b) The Data Literacy Conceptual Framework by Mandinach and Gummer (2016), (c) and leadership and management. This study found that when engaging in the Data Teams Process, leaders actions aligned with the components and subcomponents of the inquiry cycle for the Data Literacy Conceptual Framework identified by Mandinach and Gummer (2016). Additionally, findings for this study revealed that leaders (a) supported teams in identifying problems and framing questions, (b) utilized multiple sources of data when engaging in the Data Teams Process, (c) supported teams in analyzing data by engaging team members in discussions about data results, (d) created environments where team members felt safe to share data and ask advice of others, (e) considered student academic growth and team collegiality to be indicators of team success, and (f) described actions that provided evidence of behaviors related to transformational leadership, servant leadership, and management. Implications for practitioners and recommendations for future research were also identified in this study and are provided.

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© Copyright 2018 Vicki Sherril Begin