Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Roslyn Doctorow

Committee Member

Linda Gaughan

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

special education leadership, Individualized Education Programs, instructional leadership, case study, transformational leadership

Abstract

The purpose of this applied dissertation research was to explore leadership practices that facilitate successful completion and implementation of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in an elementary school setting. The research sought to help solve the ongoing problem that many who are principals do not have the knowledge or training to effectively run special education programs. The study was intended to investigate effective practices used by administrators for leading the monitoring of IEPs to receive fair and appropriate services for students with disabilities. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to establish successful leadership strategies that lead to IEP quality, defensibility, and compliance in inclusive school environments.

Instruments used for data analysis included Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), semi-structured interviews and document analysis of four elementary school principals who served in the same large urban district. Cross-checking of thematic findings was used to enhance trustworthiness. Transformational leadership, distributed leadership, and instructional alignment were reported to be predictors of increased collaboration, increased stakeholder buy-in, and more defensible IEPs. Principals who prioritized inclusive visioning, at least frequent use of assessment data, and staff development yielded better results for students with disabilities.

This research provides an additional contribution in emphasizing the significance of leadership competencies, such as data literacy, planning collaboratively, and having an equity-minded orientation. Results indicate that special education leadership preparedness should be infused into school district and leadership preparation program core curricula. The study reinforces the importance of site administrators in defining the success of special education and also advocates research into scalable leadership models for inclusive education.

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