Date of Award

7-14-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

First Advisor

Dr. Kathy J. Grover

Second Advisor

Dr. Danny Humble

Third Advisor

Dr. Shawn Poyser

Abstract

The role of the superintendent is crucial in providing the form of leadership necessary to meet the needs of all stakeholders within a school district, it takes clarity and consistency for a leader to deliver on this promise of public education (Fullan & Quinn, 2016). By demonstrating the qualities of a spiritual leader, the superintendent can play a critical role in accomplishing the goals of a school district through relationships with employees that exemplify the transformational process (Northouse, 2016). Björk et al. (2018) pointed out that superintendents must research and act on information from reliable sources to make the best choices for their students and families. In this study, the intent was to investigate the impact of spiritual-centered leadership on public school superintendents and their decision-making processes. In this qualitative study, 12 superintendents from public school districts in the state of Missouri were interviewed. Four themes emerged from the research: vision and expectations matter, hope and faith matters, love matters, and serving matters. Based on the findings of this study, public school superintendents must be knowledgeable of and free to utilize spiritual leadership qualities in leadership practices as this impacted the leadership practices and decision-making processes of those interviewed in this study.

Rights

Copyright 2021

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