Date of Graduation

8-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Education Policy (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Education Reform

Advisor/Mentor

Cheng, Albert A.

Committee Member

Wai, Jonathan

Second Committee Member

Wolf, Patrick J.

Keywords

Board Governance; Board-Head Relationship; Christian Education; Classical Christian Education; Classical Education; School Choice

Abstract

Classical and Christian education has proliferated across education sectors over the last decade. As a result, school leaders must implement these timeless philosophies of education and navigate such high demand. This dissertation seeks to equip relevant parties with research about what drives their skyrocketing enrollment and how to support school leaders and their governing boards. My first chapter uses in-person focus groups to understand the school choices of 25 parents whose children are enrolled in Texas-based classical charter schools. I explore the ways in which parents found their children’s school; what made them enroll their children; and whether they are satisfied with their choice. Summarily, most parents report high levels of satisfaction and chose their children’s school because of the classical philosophy of education and commensurate academic program. They claim that their children’s classical charter school provides the education that it claims to offer. In the second chapter, I use conjoint analysis to examine whether academic achievement, education, and experience impact the likelihood of head of school hire by 141 Christian school board members. Conjoint analysis allows researchers to identify whether and to what degree each characteristic has a causal impact on the likelihood that hypothetical candidates will be hired by hiring personnel. I find evidence that board members place a premium on strong academic achievement and qualifications, extensive teaching or leadership experience, and graduation from a postsecondary institution sharing their school’s religious tradition. In my third chapter, I use survey data from the Society for Classical Learning to understand the relationship between 147 heads of school and their governing boards. I use Ordinary Least Squares regression to isolate the board-head relationship and quantify the degree to which mutual trust and perceived care affect head of school health, happiness, stress, and professional well-being. The research shows that mutual trust between classical Christian heads of school and their boards decreases the head’s likelihood of wanting to quit and positively impacts head of school faith, feelings of loneliness, and satisfaction with their governing board. Similarly, heads of school are more likely to flourish when they feel like their board cares for their personal well-being, soul, and family.

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