All ETDs from UAB

Advisory Committee Chair

D Keith Gurley

Advisory Committee Members

Amy Dagley

Matthew Fifolt

Gary Peters

Andrew N McKnight

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

2020

Degree Name by School

Doctor of Education (EdD) School of Education

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological study explored what assistant principals of curriculum and instruction (APCIs) in a large metropolitan area in central Alabama thought about the effectiveness of their role. APCIs are an emerging role in school administration, therefore there is limited research involving APCIs, including whether the position is effective in practice. More research is needed that pertains to the assistant principal role, but more specifically it is needed for those assistant principals charged primarily with curriculum and instruction (Gurley, Peters et al., 2015). My study will help to fill the gap by looking at the perceptions of current APCIs. This study was conducted within the 14 local school districts in the area. Only 4 of those districts currently employ at least 1 of the total 20 APCIs in the area. Twelve agreed to participate in this study. I conducted semi-structured interviews with each participant at a location of their choosing, mostly their offices. I gathered job descriptions for each of the APCI’s position, and conducted document analysis for the purposes of triangulation of data. Several themes emerged from the analyses: (1) how the APCI role is defined, (2) the principal cannot be omitted from the role of instructional leader, (3) the vision must be communicated effectively, (4) the preparation for the principalship, (4) gender, and (6) setting. These themes represent those areas that will require attention in order to make the role as effective as possible. These areas also correspond with the implications for future research.

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