Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Lesa Widener

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how district leaders respond to literacy gaps among kindergarten through fifth-grade students in a small, rural school district in Northwestern North Carolina. While previous research has focused specifically on classroom practices, less is known about the role of district leadership in shaping system-level approaches to literacy improvement. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 18 participants, which included nine elementary lead classroom teachers and nine elementary school leaders (five principals, two assistant principals, and two instructional coaches). The culminating focus group included six teachers, three principals, one assistant principal, and one instructional coach. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns in leadership practices and organizational supports aimed at improving literacy outcomes. Findings indicated that district leadership influences literacy outcomes through the development of coherent systems rather than isolated initiatives. Key practices included supporting educators through structured, scaffolded guidance, strengthening professional capacity through ongoing professional learning, allocating resources strategically, and fostering collaborative trust across schools. Alignment of these elements created the conditions necessary for sustained literacy growth among K–5 students. These findings suggest that district leaders play a critical role in establishing the organizational conditions needed to support long-term literacy improvement.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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