| This action research dissertation discusses my reflective leadership practice in a small Abbott School District where I was trying to implement Service Learning into the already established curriculum in fourth grade. I explored my own transformational, caring, servant leadership within an organizational culture that had never used teacher learning communities to implement a new curriculum. The four action research cycles highlight multiple aspects of the organization, teacher learning communities, and my leadership theory-in-use as a teacher leader. Organizational culture is viewed through the theoretical lens of Rosenholtz's (1991) teacher leader, accompanied by the perspectives of change theorists, Michael Fullan (1993, 2001, 2003), Karl Weick (1990), and Heifetz and Linsky (2002). Data comprised of field notes, journal notes, and several interviews were coded using the research techniques of Glasser & Strauss (1999).; Specifically, as an organizational teacher leader enacting teacher advocacy and servant leadership, I engaged in capacity-building among organizational members, and attempted to facilitate improvement in an organization laden with educational and leadership challenges.; Study findings revealed that the overall theme of maintaining the status quo surfaced through a variety of underlying factors. Lack of knowledge about teacher learning communities and the opportunities for teachers to work together impeded this implementation of Service Learning into the already established curricula. These impediments include a lack of teacher leadership, emotional intelligent leadership, leadership skills, and educational expertise in areas other than those taught by each teacher. The result was an inability of the teacher learning community to function, hence contributing to the sustaining of a dysfunctional organizational culture. Moreover, this action research revealed through interviewing and member checking, the theme of a loosely coupled (Weick, 1979) organizational culture.; Furthermore, the issue of an Abbott School District's strict educational restrictions of time and teach to the test mentality were also found to hamper the implementation process. The study implications suggest that these recurring unresolved themes hindered the process of implementation and contributed to the lack of teacher efficacy. |
