Is critical thinking and innovation possible within the current compliance environment? Perceptions of Arizona principals

Larsen, Adam Delon (2023) Is critical thinking and innovation possible within the current compliance environment? Perceptions of Arizona principals. Doctoral thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Public schools and its leaders are expected to prepare America’s children to be contributing and informed members of society. More specifically, public school principals in Arizona are expected to be flexible and responsive as they lead school improvement on their campuses. They are also expected to comply with mandates (particularly state) which ultimately require them to utilize predetermined approaches and products with fidelity. This situation highlights a reality of principal leadership that Hughes et. al. (2019) suggested was highly discouraging to incoming principals, namely that principals were forced to adopt a compliance mindset if they wanted to continue in their role. Building on the foundation of this research, the investigator interviewed active, experienced, public-school principals (n=12) in the Phoenix Metropolitan area and utilized a grounded theory approach to analyze the principals’ perceptions about their ability to respond to challenges and adopt innovative practices. This study uncovered how principals increasingly adopt a compliance mindset as they follow district guidelines. This study also highlighted a leadership paradox that exists in Arizona public schools, namely, that principals are faulted for following mandated programs and policies by the very forces that dominate education and require their fidelity to compliance.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Autonomy; Compliance; Innovation; School principals; Mandates;
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Education > Educational Leadership
Date Deposited:	19 May 2025 17:04
Last Modified:	19 May 2025 17:04
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/6153

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