Leading Change for the Implementation of Common Core State Standards in Rural School Districts

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag

A study examines how rural school districts in California’s Central Valley respond to the challenges of implementing the Common Core State Standards. Survey data from 352 teachers and 36 administrators uses the Stages of Concern Questionnaire to measure concerns tied to CCSS implementation. Administrator qualitative responses further analyze concerns and leadership approaches, concluding teachers focus on personal implementation efforts while administrators emphasize collaborative processes, with higher concern among newer teachers and recommendations for ongoing data collection, assessment, and communicating next steps.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Leadership

Leading Change for the Implementation of Common Core State Standards in Rural School Districts This manuscript has been peer-reviewed, accepted, and endorsed by the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) as a significant contribution to the scholarship and practice of school administration and K-12 education. Paul Lopez Donald Wise, Dissertation Chair California State University Fresno NCPEA Editorial Advisor, Dr. John R. Slate Rural school districts across the nation, with their limited resources, face daunting challenges posed by the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. This article presents a recent study of 13 rural school districts in the Central Valley of California and how these districts are responding to those challenges. A total of 352 teachers and 36 administrators responded to the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ), which measured the concerns of respondents associated with CCSS implementation. Qualitative responses by administrators to questions relating to concerns and leadership approaches associated with CCSS implementation were also analyzed. Major findings were that teachers were mostly concerned about their own personal efforts of CCSS implementation while administrators were more concerned about collaborative processes involved with implementation. Also teachers in their first years of service generally had greater perceived levels of concern at all levels. Recommendations included continuous data collection and assessment of the implementation with greater efforts at communicating findings and next steps for all stakeholders utilizing a blend of instructional and distributed leadership. Introduction It is a privilege and a human right for children to attend school. Among the central reasons students attend school is to gain knowledge, build life and career skills, and to become productive members of society. Curriculum is at the core of a student’s education. When districts are faced with the need to redesign curriculum, such as to transition to the Common Core State Standards, it is imperative leaders clearly define the rationale and redesign process to NCPEA Education Leadership Review of Doctoral Research, Vol. 2, No. 1 – March 2015 ISSN: 1532-0723 © 2014 National Council of Professors of Educational Administration This manuscript may not be used commercially or edited. When quoting portions of this text, attribution to the author/s is required. all stakeholders and work to make clear that the end result is to increase student achievement. Moreover, the curriculum redesign process should be viewed a “win-win” situation for all stakeholders. The organization of the process is just as important as designing the curriculum (Ainsworth, 2010) . This article presents the results of a study that was conceived with this idea in mind. Therefore, the study investigated the concerns of teachers and administrators and the perceived levels of use as they relate to the California Common Core State Standards. An additional intent of the study was to investigate the leadership approaches to lead the necessary change processes to take place for the California Common Core State Standards. Leadership Being an effective school leader in this day and age can be a formidable task. Leading schools in times of change, however, is even more demanding (Portin, Schneider, DeArmond, & Gundlach, 2003) . The expectations placed upon school leaders continue to increase in a dynamic and changing environment (Bossi, 2007; Fullan, 2002) . In order to address concerns associated with change, school and district leaders will need to utilize appropriate leadership skills. Using appropriate leadership skills requires school leaders to have an understanding of the different types of leadership approaches and when each of these leadership approaches is most effective. For that reason, it is imperative that school leaders have an understanding of major leadership

FAQs

What does the study investigate regarding Common Core implementation?

It investigates teachers’ and administrators’ concerns and perceived levels of use related to California’s Common Core State Standards, along with leadership approaches needed to support change processes.

How were concerns measured in the research?

Teacher and administrator concerns were measured using the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ), and administrators also provided qualitative responses about concerns and leadership approaches.

What major differences in concerns did the findings report?

Teachers were mostly concerned about their personal efforts of CCSS implementation, while administrators were more concerned about collaborative processes involved in implementation.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag