Congratulations to Amy M. Peluso Prasky who on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, successfully defended her dissertation. The title of Amy’s dissertation is: "FROM COMPLIANCE TO COHERENCE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY ABOUT HOW PRINCIPALS PERCEIVE AND USE OBSERVATIONAL DATA FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DECISIONS."
This dissertation explored how principals in New York state K–12 public schools use both formal and anecdotal data from supervising teaching faculty to inform their decision-making processes about individual and collective strengths, needs, and professional learning topics. Against the backdrop of local, state, and federal institutional contexts shaped by accountability measures such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Race to the Top (RTTT), and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), this study emerged from a need to deepen the understanding of how data are leveraged in efforts to enhance teacher practice and student learning outcomes. Employing a generic qualitative inquiry approach, the study investigated the integration of information, interests, ideology, and institutional forces in shaping professional learning decisions among acting principals, aligning with Weiss’s (1995) four I theory. Through semi structured interviews and document analysis, the findings shed light on the complex interplay of factors influencing principals’ decision-making processes in this domain. Research questions were formulated to deepen an understanding of principals’ perceptions regarding the prioritization and use of data, the impact of institutional factors on decision making, and the identification of specific perceived barriers and assets.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR(S):
Dr. Victoria B. Fantozzi
Dr. Joanne Marien
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBER(S):
Dr. Lynn Allen
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