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ÐÜèÊÓƵLeadership for School Improvement Special Interest Group (SIG #101)

2024 Dissertation of the Year Award

The Leadership for School Improvement (LSI) SIG invites submissionsÌýof Ph.D. and Ed.D. dissertations successfully completed betweenÌýDecember 1, 2023 and November 30, 2024 for the 2024ÌýDissertation of the Year Award. The award will be presented at the LSI SIG Business Meeting at theÌý2025 ÐÜèÊÓƵAnnual Meeting and the award recipient will also receiveÌýa check for $500.

Submission Procedures:

Step 1:Ìý(1) An executive summary of the dissertation and (2) a copy of the full dissertation should be submitted in electronic form to the Dissertation of the Year Award Chair, Dr. Elizabeth Zumpe atÌýelizabeth.a.zumpe-1@ou.eduÌýby January 15, 2025.

• The executive summary should succinctly address the study’s purpose, research methods, findings, and implications for research and practice.
• The executive summary should be a maximum of 10 double-spaced pages excluding references and appendices and adhere to APA 6thÌýor 7thÌýedition formatting.
• The executive summary should not identify the author or the institution where the dissertation was completed.
• The full dissertation should not identify the author or the institution where the dissertation was completed.

Step 2:ÌýAn email verifying successful completion of the dissertation should be sent by the dissertation chairperson to the Dissertation of the Year Award Chair, Dr. Elizabeth Zumpe, at elizabeth.a.zumpe-1@ou.edu

Step 3:ÌýFinalists will receive notification of the results by February 12, 2025. The Committee reserves the right to forego selection of a recipient if no entries are deemed suitable for the award.

Step 4:ÌýThe award recipient is invited to attend the Business Meeting of the Leadership for School Improvement SIG at the 2025 ÐÜèÊÓƵAnnual Meeting, where the award will be formally presented.

Evaluation Criteria:

To be considered for the LSI SIG Dissertation of the Year Award, dissertations must:

1. Be submitted by an LSI SIG member, a student of an LSI SIG member, or a graduate student LSI SIG member
2. Align with the LSI SIG mission (see below)
3. Seek to address significant research question(s) situated within the context of school leadership and school improvement
4. Have a clearly articulated and appropriate conceptual framework
5. Use rigorous and appropriate research methods
6. Relate significant findings
7. Discuss the contribution of the findings to research and practice
8. Be well-written

LSI SIG Mission

To examine how leadership exercised by teachers, principals, and superintendents influences instructional capacity resulting in improved student outcomes and how policy guides this collaborative effort

Recent Award Recipients:

2026: Winner:ÌýTye Austin Ripma,Ìý University of Texas, Austin, Advisor:ÌýDavid DeMatthews

2026: Runner Up:ÌýMichele Caracappa,ÌýTeachers College, Columbia,ÌýAdvisor: Sonya Douglass

2024: Latrice Marianno, "I Don't Think We Can Co-Exist": A Critical PolicyÌýAnalysis of the Relationship between Equity and School Improvement Planning, University of Delaware,ÌýAdvisor: ElizabethÌýFarley-Ripple

2023: Meagan Richard,ÌýEmancipatory School Leadership in Educational Market ContextsÌýPh.D., University of Illinois Chicago Advisor, Shelby Cosner

2022:ÌýMegan Griffard,ÌýPrincipal Leadership as a Moderator of Teacher Turnover Following Natural Hazard ExposureÌýPh.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Advisor, Lora Cohen-Vogel

2021:ÌýJoonkil Ahn,ÌýLeadership for Learning and Teacher Self-Efficacy as the Antecedents of Teacher Collaboration, Instructional Quality, Intended Turnover, and Equitable Teaching PracticeÌýPh.D., University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign Advisor, Anjalé Welton

2020:ÌýMaxwell Yurkofsky,ÌýWhen Reason Confronts Uncertainty: Continuous Improvement, Technical Ceremonies, and the Changing Structure of American SchoolsÌýEd.D., Harvard University Advisor, Jal D. Mehta

2019:ÌýBryan VanGronigen,ÌýAn Examination of the Structures, Functions, and Perceived Effectiveness of School Leadership Teams in Underperforming High SchoolsÌýPh.D., University of Virginia Advisor, Dan Duke

2018:ÌýMary Bussman,ÌýPeer Equity Coaching to Increase Cultural Responsiveness in Teaching and LeadingÌýPh.D., University of Minnesota- Twin Cities Advisor, Karen Seashore Louis

2017:ÌýKathryn Wiley,ÌýUnfulfilled Promises: Equity & School Discipline Practices in an Innovation SchoolÌýPh.D., University of Colorado at Boulder Advisor, Michele Moses

2016:ÌýRomy DeCristofaro,ÌýA Multi-Case Study Reflection within Collaborative Teacher InquiryÌýPh.D., University of Illinois at Chicago Advisor, Shelby Cosner

2015: Elizabeth Leisy Stosich,ÌýLearning to Teach to the Common Core State Standards: Examining the Role of Teachers’ Collaboration, Principals’ Leadership, and Professional DevelopmentÌýEd.D., Harvard University Advisor, Susan Moore Johnson

2014:ÌýDoug Wieczorek,ÌýA Repeated, Cross-sectional Analysis of Principals' Professional Development and Instructional Leadership Behaviors in the First Decade of the Educational Accountability EraÌýPh.D., Syracuse University Advisor, George Theoharis

2013:ÌýEmily Palmer,ÌýTalking about Race: Overcoming fear in the process of changeÌýPh.D., University of Minnesota Advisor, Karen Seashore Louis

2012: Angela Urick, To what extent do typologies of school leaders across the U.S. predict teacher attrition? A multilevel latent class analysis of principals and teachers ÌýEd.D., University of Texas at San Antonio ÌýAdvisor, Alex BowersÌý

2011: Kerri J. Tobin, Identifying Best Practices for Homeless Students ÌýPh.D., Vanderbilt University ÌýAdvisor, Joseph MurphyÌý

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