1. Presented by
Alverna Champion, PhD, School of Advanced Studies
Uma Deoras, Doctoral Student, School of Advanced Studies
Carole Lormand, Steven LaBry, and Leonard Peyronnin, Faculty

2. Introduction
We formed a group called Research Roundtable in This is our second project. We are from Lafayette, Louisiana; University of Phoenix ground campus. However our campus closed on February

3. Decision-Making Influences Student Achievement
How Principals’
Decision-Making Influences Student Achievement

4. Problem Statement
Despite attempts to improve mathematics and language scores during the 1990s, Louisiana students still ranked next to last when compared to their peers in other states.

5. Success story
This qualitative inquiry used interview data collected from five principals of south central Louisiana who were selected based on their School Performance Grades (SPG) as issued by the State Department of Education growing from C, D or F to A or B.

6. Purpose
To understand how the decision-making practices of skilled school principals in South Central Louisiana impacted improved student achievement.

7. Research Question
How does decision-making practices of skilled school principals impact student achievement?

8. Conceptual Framework

9. Brief Literature Review
Tuttleton (2013) researched 61 public schools in seven Louisiana parishes. She concluded there is a statistically significant relationship between School Performance Scores and the behavior of principals.

10. Research Method
Data was collected through semi-structured interviews of the principals using open-ended questions.

11. District and number of improving Schools
Target
The population: principals in South Central Louisiana
The sample: five principals selected randomly from schools fitting the criterion   
2014 Results 
2013 Results 
District and number of improving Schools 
2014 Annual DPS Letter Grade 
2014 Annual District Performance Score  
2013 Annual DPS Letter Grade 
2013 Annual District Performance Score  
Acadia Parish 2 out of 25  B 
89.7 
87.3 
Iberia Parish  
6 out of 26 
88.9 
86.9 
Lafayette Parish  
4 out of 40 
90.0 
90.5 

12. Data Analysis
A line-by–line analysis of principals’ responses was conducted revealing principals’ best decision– making practices that included their reasons and strategies for increasing student achievements

13. Findings
Principals keep students’ needs in mind when making decisions.

14. District and Community Contexts
5 of the 5 principals viewed this as a particularly prickly area. One principal related an egregious error.
An incident occurred where money was missing in the classroom and the principal handled the situation with a strip search.
Teacher wanted the money back;
Community demanded respect for all students;
Administrators concerned with legal repercussions.

15. School Conditions
One principal worked with the whole staff in creating the list of guiding principles which were displayed throughout the school and shared with the community.

16. Teacher Quality
Of concern, is which teacher would be a good fit for the school? How can a teacher be removed? How to do a thorough background check? How to have versatile staff?
Hiring teachers perplexes all of 5 principals. While one principal finds the hiring problematic she relies almost entirely on first impressions.

17. Instructional Quality
All principals were eager to assert:
Data drives their decisions.
Data facilitates monitoring students’ strengths and weaknesses.

18. Instructional Quality
A problematic matter, which greatly affects instructional quality involves moving students or moving teachers to ensure the best instructional quality for the school.
Issues of racial segregation and court orders come into play.
Mandated student teacher ratios must be followed.

19. Instructional Quality

20. Economically Disadvantaged

21. Out of School Activities
4 out of five principals attend church, pray, spend time with family, and participate in outdoor sports.
1 out of five principals takes loads of the work home.

22. Selective References
Clifford, M., Behrstock-Sherratt, E., & Fetters, J. (2012, May). The Ripple Effect A Synthesis of Research on Principal Influence to Inform Performance Evaluation Design. AIR American Institute for Research, (), Retrieved from 
pple_Effect_d8_Online_0.pdf
Lawton, M. (1997, January 22). Louisiana: Hoping to climb. Education Week, Quality Counts,
Lawton, M. (1998, January 8). Louisiana: Hard times in the Big Easy Education Week, Quality Counts,
Mclaughlin, D. V. (2015). Insights: How Expert Principals Make Difficult Decisions. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Printy, S. (2010, April). Principals' influence on instructional quality: insights from US schools. School Leadership & Management: Formerly School Organization, 30(2), Retrieved from 
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23. Selective References Contd…
Tuttleton, J. (2013). The relationship between student success and the learning-centered leadership behaviors of principals in southeast Louisiana. Hammond, LA: UMI Dissertation Publishing.