| The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological interview study was to explore principals' perceptions in high technology spending and low technology spending high schools regarding the value of administrative and educational technology within the building they lead, as well their perception of their own roles in the process.;As determined in the review of literature, the most critical components of an outstanding high school consistently involve the following areas: positive school culture, effective leadership, positive home/school relations, and high quality curriculum and instruction. Furthermore, according to the review of literature on the components of outstanding high schools, the presence of technology was not listed as a critical component.;The researcher identified six findings from this research study, including: (1) it is important for high schools to have effective data collection and data analysis plans in order to be considered a successful high school; (2) all successful high schools must have a culture of high expectations surrounding staff performance and student achievement; (3) it is important for building and district leadership within a high school setting to be an integral part of creating a vision of technology implementation; (4) all successful high schools contain the presence of administrative and educational technology; (5) all successful high schools provide relevant experiences for its students in order to be considered a successful high school; and (6) in order to provide a relevant experience for students, all high schools should be able to prepare students for post-secondary success, which should include the utilization and presence of technology within the school.;The researcher determined that this study contains implications for future educational leaders. The implications are that school leaders should recognize the importance of (1) data collection and analysis, (2) creating and cultivating a vision of technology for the school, and (3) utilizing technology as a tool for preparing students for post-secondary success. |
