an appreciative inquiry of leadership in a high performing high school

151 Pages·2011·1.29 MB·English

by  William L. Kelley

AN APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY OF LEADERSHIP IN A HIGH PERFORMING HIGH
SCHOOL

A Dissertation by
William L. Kelley
Master of Education, Colorado State University, 1979
Bachelor of Arts, Wichita State University, 1974

Submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership
and the Faculty of the Graduate School of
Wichita State University
in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Education

May 2011
© Copyright 2011 by William L. Kelley

All Rights Reserved
AN APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY OF LEADERSHIP IN A HIGH PERFORMING HIGH
SCHOOL

The following faculty members have examined the final copy of this dissertation for form and
content, and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
degree of Doctor of Education with a major in Educational Leadership.

Jean Patterson, Committee Chair

Jo Bennett, Committee Member

Sharon Goodvin, Committee Member

Fuchang Liu, Committee Member

Clay Stoldt, Committee Member

Accepted for the College of Education

Sharon Iorio, Dean

Accepted for the Graduate School

J. David McDonald, Dean

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DEDICATION

To my mother and loving family …

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To appreciate is to live – Let’s rock, baby!

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This journey has been a long one, but worthwhile in every way. Spanning over 3 decades
in education I have seen many changes in school environments, in both public and the private
sectors, and have learned a great deal about what is possible in working with students and
educators in the school environment. There is no greater reward than working with students and
staff that can make a difference in education and in the lives of their students. So much of what
we have learned over the years gives us our focus and direction for how we live our lives.
Education has been my life for the past 33 years of personal commitment and the past 50 years in
my family’s commitment. There are two special women that have impacted my life in different
ways, but in the same profession. My wife was an educator in the Derby school system for 33
years at the middle and high school levels impacting hundreds of students through her teaching
and coaching and always being positive with every situation that I can remember. She did not
know the theory of appreciative inquiry, but inadvertently lived it with each day in her
classroom. She found the best in her students and athletes and made the most of their abilities
each day. She was forced to retire because of a physical disability or I know that she would still
be passing her knowledge and caring on to her students in her classes today. She loved teaching
and loved her students and I will always be thankful for being a part of her career and taking a
part of what was important to her and passing it on through my career and contacts with people
in education. She exemplified what is right about education and working with students, parents
and community. I know that she misses her students and her friends in education because that is
what she loved. I have heard a friend say many times that “people don’t care how much you
know, until you show them how much you care.” I have had this influence for nearly half of my
life. There is still a great deal of caring and passion in her influence.
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I would also like to take time to thank my mom for being such a dedicated educator and
role model for me in my life. She was a 7th grade teacher for 35 years in the Derby school
system. She graduated from high school with honors in 1942 from Torrington High School in
Torrington, Wyoming, but did not have the opportunity to go to college because of the war and
having to move with parents and work to support family. She did not start college until 1962. I
was a sixth grade student, 12 years old at the time, when she started her bachelor’s program at
Sacred Heart College, now Newman University. She graduated in three years with honors in
1965. She began her teaching career at the age of 40 and continued teaching until she retired at
the age of 75. Throughout her career she encouraged me to seek education and one of her wishes
was for me to pursue my doctorate degree in education. I have always loved the university
atmosphere and the challenges of seeking higher level thinking skills, but the opportunity never
presented itself, but then after nearly a 30 year absence from university education and my ’79
graduation from Colorado State University with my M.Ed. in educational administration, I got
the opportunity to return to Wichita State University to begin work toward my district level
certification. While in this program, the pursuit became reality and entered the doctorate program
for my advanced degree in Educational Leadership. Without these two women’s encouragement
and support, this endeavor would never have happened. Well worth the 30 year wait.
I would also like to thank Dr. Jean Patterson for her guidance and commitment to take on
my project mid-stream after Dr. Ray Calabrese accepted a position at The Ohio State University.
This was a blow for me and brought me to question completing the journey. I had explored
several ideas relating to the AI theoretical perspective, but none solid enough to get the idea into
something concrete enough to make it happen. Jean came to my rescue. She waited for me to
make a commitment to working on the project. After several meetings and my refocus we were
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off and running. I will be forever grateful for her prompt revisions and ideas to bring this project
to fruition. Her comments and direction led me to explore areas that were obvious but to look at
them in ways that I had not seen. In her own way she used the AI perspective on me citing
examples of my writing that she considered good when I really did not have an idea if they were
good, bad, or indifferent. She is the ultimate mentor and I hope to have the opportunity to write
with her in the future.
I have to say, although Dr. Calabrese left WSU, his impact on my life and beliefs remain
a constant in my everyday life. I will always remember “P night” and “let’s crank it up” each
week in class. What would a Wednesday afternoon in the basement of Hubbard Hall be without
experiencing the appreciative vein in Ray? The infamous “Dr. C”, always the optimist, and
always searching for the potential in all of us, made a difference in my life and I’m sure in yours
for those that had the opportunity to work closely with him. Thank you for challenging me to
think outside of the box. Our cohort began with a solid professorial staff; Dr. Jean Patterson, Dr.
Ray Calabrese, Dr. Ian Gibson, and Dr. Randy Turk. Over the next two years we saw changes in
the department with Ian leaving for home in Australia, Randy retired and moved to Missouri, and
Ray moved on to Ohio. Jean is the remaining glue for our cohort and we all have had wonderful
experiences with her through our case study work and dissertation process. I personally want to
thank the entire staff for their belief in me to see me through this project and to let me work
through the writing and brain cramps and getting me to think about making a difference in what I
do. Their leadership has gotten me to graduation and beyond. As I can reflect now, this journey
has been a long one, but fruitful and budding each day. The thoughts ahead for me are all
focused on what impact that I can have on others in making education better for our students.
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I would also like to thank the members of my cohort – lucky 13 for their guidance and
support as I struggled to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Working with cohorts 12 and 14
were different experiences and I probably realize that with cohort 12 we were asking all of the
questions that probably seemed silly to them because of everything that we saw them going
through in their second year in the program. I was always impressed with their knowledge of the
processes and their work ethic in the doctoral program. The time I spent with them went very
quickly and I remember in our pledge year in the program seeing what they went through for
comps and for selection of their dissertation chairperson. Almost a scary situation, but then as the
second year student we all saw changes in the program so our experiences changed and I say for
our benefit in the learning process. The experience changed after our cohort completed course
work and I know that the program continues to evolve to provide the best practices for students
in educational leadership.
In cohort 13 I felt a little outnumbered being the only male in a cohort of 7. Pretty good
odds and I can say that the girls were all wonderful to be with and all very caring people. I
cannot say how much that I look up to each of them for their contributions to my learning and
their commitment to their districts and improving education. Our discussions in class were
always what made our classes special and our mutual respect for learning a bonus. I want to
thank Danielle for getting me back on track and motivated to finish. From cohort 12, Dr.
Cameron Carlson encouraged me to get involved in advanced studies and assisted me in getting
my desktop organized. Kind of a joke for those of you that know Cameron. I could not have done
this without your support … Jan, Erica, Diane, Danielle, Crystal, and Charlene. You are the best!
I would also like to thank my school superintendent, Mr. Charles Edmonds and the Board
of Education from USD 265 for allowing me to pursue my advanced degree at WSU and
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allowing me to miss Wednesday afternoons to attend class. Many days after class I returned to
my office to complete work that needed to be done in the manner that is expected at our level
and in our district. Their commitment to me is worth more of my time and effort to make
Goddard the best.
In conclusion I would like to thank my family, especially my wife, Barb, for her patience
over the years to bring this journey to completion. She has been my strength for the past 33 years
as my wife and a friend for 43 years. We have shared it all and I appreciate her and could never
repay her for her selfless acts of sacrifice during this time. Thank you one and all. We made it.

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