Blazing New Trails - Connexions

The Effective Practices and Beliefs of School Principals in High Achieving Hispanic Majority Mid-Level Schools 125
with a weak administration exhibited lower rates of student academic achievement. No Child
Left Behind has seriously impacted the role of the campus principal by increasing the pressure
on administration to demand increased rates of student achievement measured by standardized
tests (Kelley, Thornton, & Daugherty, 2005).
DESIGN OF THE STUDY
The research design of this study was a qualitative narrative. Creswell (2007) stated
that qualitative research investigates problems inquiring into the meaning individuals or
groups ascribe to a social or human condition. To study this problem, researchers used an
emerging qualitative approach to inquiry, the collection of data in a natural setting sensitive to
the people and places under study, and data analysis that was inductive and established
patterns or themes. Credibility of the current study was enhanced by utilizing the concept of
researcher positionality based on the work of Banks (1998). This theoretical orientation
supports understanding research when discussing typology of cross-cultural researchers.
Banks referred to four types of knowers (researchers): (a) the indigenous-insider, (b) the
indigenous-outsider, (c) the external-insider and (d) the external-outsider. The primary
researcher in this study acknowledged his position as an indigenous-insider.
Participants
The selection of the 10 participants was purposive in order to include the stories of
principals who met the following criteria for effectiveness: (a) the principals had been on the
same campus for at least two years; (b) 51% or more Hispanic students were enrolled on the
campus; and (c) the schools in which these principals served had achieved a Texas state rating
of Exemplary or Recognized in the previous two years. The Just4Kids website
(http://www.nc4ea.org/) was utilized for identifying schools with high achieving mid-level
schools with a majority of 51% Hispanic student enrollment. Once the list of qualifying
schools was created, the Texas Education Association (TEA) website
(http://www.tea.state.tx.us/) was then used to provide the schools’ ratings for the previous two
years. Only 15 middle school principals in Texas met the stated criteria, and 10 agreed to
participate in the study. Participants included seven males and three females of whom three
were Black, five were White, and two were Hispanic. Principals’ experiences at the schools
ranged from three years to 22 years. Additionally, the school sizes ranged from 225 to 1300
students, and all had over 50% population of students with low socioeconomic status.
Data Collection and Analysis
Following suggestions by Clandinin and Connelly (2000), the researcher collected
data by audio recording the interviews as well as scripting the answers given by the
participants. Each participant was initially contacted by e-mail and telephone and later
interviewed in person. Participants were given the research questions that were asked in the
face-to-face interviews in advance. The face-to-face interview lasted approximately 45
minutes with an additional 15 minutes for asking clarifying questions.
Creswell (2007) recommended several steps for data analysis which were followed in
this study. The researcher began by creating an epoche to better understand the researcher’s
life experiences as a Hispanic student, teacher, and administrator. In this way, researcher bias
was also bracketed. Next, the researcher developed a list of significant statements. Every