Ed.D. Doctor of Education Doctor of Education Leadership 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A school board is pressuring the superintendent to raise test scores within one year. Which leadership response best balances accountability with sustainable improvement?
- Focus exclusively on test-preparation drills to show quick gains
- Present a multi-year continuous improvement plan grounded in research (Correct answer)
- Resign to avoid being held responsible for unrealistic targets
- Implement punitive measures for teachers whose students underperform
Correct answer: Present a multi-year continuous improvement plan grounded in research
Sustainable school improvement requires long-term, evidence-based planning rather than reactive short-term tactics that can harm culture and learning.
Question 2: Which concept describes the degree to which a research instrument consistently measures what it is intended to measure across repeated administrations?
- Internal validity
- Construct validity
- Reliability (Correct answer)
- Ecological validity
Correct answer: Reliability
Reliability refers to the consistency or stability of a measurement instrument over time and across conditions.
Question 3: A district equity audit reveals that Black and Hispanic students are disproportionately placed in lower academic tracks. Which leadership action directly addresses this structural inequity?
- Celebrate cultural heritage months to improve school climate
- Audit and revise placement criteria, providing support for accelerated course access (Correct answer)
- Hire more diverse teachers without changing placement policies
- Commission a second audit before taking action
Correct answer: Audit and revise placement criteria, providing support for accelerated course access
Structural inequities in tracking require revising the policies and criteria that produce disproportionate outcomes, not only surface-level cultural programming.
Question 4: In Bolman and Deal's four-frame leadership model, which frame focuses on power, conflict, and coalition-building?
- Structural frame
- Human resource frame
- Political frame (Correct answer)
- Symbolic frame
Correct answer: Political frame
The political frame views organizations as arenas of competing interests where leaders must build coalitions and navigate conflict to move agendas forward.
Question 5: An instructional leader wants to evaluate the fidelity of a newly adopted reading curriculum. Which data source is most directly relevant?
- Teacher satisfaction surveys about the curriculum
- Classroom observation data matched against the curriculum's implementation checklist (Correct answer)
- End-of-year state reading assessment scores
- Parent feedback about homework quality
Correct answer: Classroom observation data matched against the curriculum's implementation checklist
Implementation fidelity is best measured through direct observation of classroom practice compared against established implementation criteria.
Question 6: Which budget model gives school principals the most autonomy to allocate resources based on their school's unique needs?
- Line-item budgeting
- Zero-based budgeting
- Site-based budgeting (Correct answer)
- Formula-based budgeting
Correct answer: Site-based budgeting
Site-based budgeting decentralizes fiscal control to individual school leaders, enabling resource decisions aligned with local priorities.
Question 7: A new principal inherits a school with a culture of low expectations. According to change management theory, what is the most critical first step?
- Immediately replace staff who model low expectations
- Announce a new vision and mandate immediate compliance
- Build relational trust with staff before initiating cultural change (Correct answer)
- Wait a full year before making any changes
Correct answer: Build relational trust with staff before initiating cultural change
Kotter's and Fullan's change frameworks both emphasize that trust-building is foundational before leaders can successfully challenge existing cultural norms.
Ed.D. Doctor of Education Doctor of Education Leadership 3
A school board is pressuring the superintendent to raise test scores within one year.
Which leadership response best balances accountability with sustainable improvement?