Term of Award

Summer 2003

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Educational Administration

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (open access)

Department

Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development

Committee Chair

Michael D. Richardson

Committee Member 1

Catherine Wooddy

Committee Member 2

Mary Ann Jackson

Committee Member 3

Cathy S. Jording

Abstract

High stakes accountability in education has changed nearly everything in school leadership. In the past, principals were expected to simply hold school each day with classes running smoothly and in an orderly fashion. Rising expectations have prompted state legislatures across the United States to implement high stakes accountability systems that hold schools responsible for student achievement. The responsibility for raising student achievement rests student achievement. The responsibility for raising student achievement rests one way to cultivate and make ready new administrators for the challenges that they will face as they begin their careers.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Georgia Southern University's Mentoring Administrators Program (MAP) from the perceptions of the participants and clientele who took part in the MAP. This qualitative study analyzed two groups of long-term participants and two clientele who were program administrators. A set of eleven questions was used in the semi-structured interview process. The computer software program QSR NUD*IST Version 5 (N5) was used to identify patterns and themes in the participants' responses.

The major findings provided valuable insight and information. All participants were in agreement that having a mentor in the beginning of their careers was beneficial. Support, camaraderie and the ability to learn from the mentors were all described as positive aspects of the Mentoring Administrators Program. The sharing of ideas and the easing of the sense of isolation that new administrators often feel were also mentioned as benefits of the MAP.

Time constraints and other obligations were mentioned as limitations of the Mentoring Administrators program. Many of the respondents spoke of how the day-to-day operations of running school often made attending the meetings difficult.

The recommendations for the Mentoring Administrators Program suggested by the respondents included more meeting times to enable them to be more involved and locating a funding source that would allow the MAP to continue for future new administrators. The findings of this research enabled the researcher to make several recommendations for mentoring programs for new administrators.

Copyright

This work is archived and distributed under the repository's standard copyright and reuse license for Theses and Dissertations authored 2005 and prior, available here. Under this license, end-users may copy, store, and distribute this work without restriction. For questions related to additional reuse of this work, please contact the copyright owner. Copyright owners who wish to review or revise the terms of this license, please contact digitalcommons@georgiasouthern.edu.

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