Common Core implementation decisions made by principals in elementary schools

2016-02-08The purpose of this study was to understand the decisions elementary principals have made during the Common Core State Standards reform. Specifically, (a) what decisions principals have made to support Common Core implementation, (b) what strategies elementary principals have employed to communicate with stakeholders about Common Core State Standards implementation, (c) what strategies elementary principals are using to build teacher capacity, and (d) how elementary principals have evaluated the effectiveness of the systems that have been used to support the Common Core State Standards reform. Thirty-four Southern California elementary principals participated in this mixed method study. All of the participants completed a quantitative survey, and of the 34 participants, six met specific criteria and were asked to participate in a qualitative interview. The qualitative and quantitative data was analyzed and coded; the subsequent themes emerged. Surveyed principals reported making Common Core State Standards decisions in the following areas: (a) curriculum, (b) professional development, (c) communication, (d) materials, (e) technology, (f) evaluation, and (g) leadership. Additionally, the six interviewed elementary principals added that they had autonomy to decided the CCSS content focus areas for their school sites, however, the interviewees reported limited capacity building decision making autonomy. The data from this study implies that there is a difference in understanding about elementary principal Common Core State Standard implementation contribution. This mixed method study provides a glimpse into the current variability of elementary school principals’ degree of participation in Common Core State Standard decision making