Date of Award

Fall 12-1-2002

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Gregory Ulm

Second Advisor

Joanne Burrows

Third Advisor

Kathleen Phillips

Abstract

In 1996, legislation created the Regional Safe Schools Program in Illinois. Alternative public school programs were established for disruptive or violent students who were unable or unwilling to conform themselves to the expectations of a traditional school setting. There has been limited research on alternative education administration. The purpose of this research was to study RSSP administrators to determine their leadership type, the effect of organizational culture on their leadership approach, and their beliefs and dispositions of alternative education. The problems of the study were approached from the conceptual framework of a system that interlocks alternative education, educational administration and leadership, and leadership approach to organizational culture. l1l The Keirsey Temperament Sorter was used to identify the leadership type of RSSP administrators. The finding of a sensation/judging temperament dominance among RSSP administrators indicated they are traditionalists and have a strong sense of social responsibility. The RSSP group also had a higher representation of extraversion than expected. Statistical analysis from the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations OrientationBehavior (FIRO-B) data showed expressed needs ofRSSP administrators are significantly greater than wanted needs, meaning a preference for taking control. As leaders, they tend to focus on developing human resources. Finally, analysis of data from the Alternative Program Survey revealed a significant relationship between beliefs and dispositions of RSSP administrators and indicators of effective practices for alternative education programs. The profile of RSSP administrators that emerged from this research was that of an experienced, highly educated group. They are a group of various leadership types, who are flexible, resilient, and comfortable in different organizational cultures, and have beliefs and dispositions of alternative education that align with research-based best practices.

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