Theses and Dissertations Collection

This dissertation utilized a format where each research group member had the opportunity to conduct their own research on a problem of professional practice, write an article about the research to submit for publication, critique each other's research article, and write a white paper to propose solutions to local stakeholders. Researching and critiquing problems of professional practice provided each group member the opportunity to collaborate with stakeholders in the field, conduct research on authentic problems, and practice the scholarly jurying process. Each member conducted research around a problem of professional practice in leadership - student leadership or leadership of administrators in higher education. Research for this dissertation was conducted in a magnet high school focused on implementing a different model for public school education at the high school level. The model incorporates distributed leadership, positive school culture, and the 21st Century Skills Framework in an effort to empower and better prepare students for a global economy and the jobs and careers of tomorrow. Through a constructivist lens, the Rapid Assessment Process (RAP) was used as a strategy within the action research methodology to understand the perspective of students. Data were collected to determine whether or not students feel empowered to take an active role in the development and maintenance of school culture and how students have influenced school culture based upon their perceptions of empowerment.