Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

School of Education

Abstract

This study examines the role communication plays in relationship to student achievement levels and the student enrollment of school districts. The following primary research question was examined: What is the relationship between high schools' staff's perception of positive communication between the district office and schools and levels of students meeting state reading/language arts and math assessment standards? The foundation of this study is based on the hypotheses that an increase in a staff's positive perception of two-way communication between their school and the central office will be associated with an increase in student achievement. Existing survey data (N = 3132) over a three-year period for all high schools (N = 19) of each of the analyzed districts (N = 14) were used. The research results of this study show that an increase in the staff's perception of positive communication was associated with an increase in the number of students meeting or exceeding state achievement levels. The results of the primary question had a very strong statistical significance of 0.001 (p = 0.001) with a weak positive correlation (r = 0.06). The results of this research counteract educational literature and the researcher's current practice, thereby providing an opportunity for improvements in district-wide communication and ultimately increased student achievement.

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