Leadership Studies Ed.D. Dissertations

Title

“Three-Skill” of Effective Administrators and Their Comfort Level in the Conduct of the Performance Evaluations of School Psychologists

Date of Award

2009

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Patrick Pauken

Second Advisor

Audrey Ellenwood (Committee Member)

Third Advisor

Judith Jackson May (Committee Member)

Fourth Advisor

Stephanie Rowley (Committee Member)

Fifth Advisor

Dennis Smith (Committee Member)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were significant relationships between effective administrator skills of K-12 public school administrators charged with the conduct of the performance evaluations of school psychologists, their comfort level, and their education and experience. The theoretical framework of Katz's (1955) Three-Skill of Effective Administrators, and the expansion of that model toward performance evaluation conceptualized by Stronge (1991) were used to examine the strength of the aforementioned relationships. The three effective administrator skill areas for both Katz (1955) and Stronge (1991) included the following: (1) Technical Skill, (2) Human Skill, and (3) Conceptual Skill. A 42-item survey was e-mailed using SurveyMonkey.com to K-12 Michigan public school special education contact personnel of the public school districts and county intermediate school districts in the state of Michigan. Using linear regression analysis, comfort level and some experience variables predicted human skill and conceptual skill. The results of this study revealed administrators having high human and conceptual skills, but lower technical skill, suggesting limited understanding of school psychologists' role and function. Increasing school leaders' knowledge and understanding of the broader role and function of school psychologists may improve learning opportunities for all. Finally, establishing the validity, reliability, and utility, of performance evaluation instruments will help to more accurately evaluate and utilize school psychological services in K-12 public education.

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