Leadership styles of academic administrators and student achievement

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Topic: Applying For Funding Introduction There are various funding avenues an individual could explore in seeking to support his or her applied research project. In essence, these funding opportunities fall under two broad categories; government/nonprofit and industry/corporate sponsored academic research. This paper will explore external funding opportunities to aid or assist my applied research project. In addition to identifying an appropriate funding entity, the text will explain how innovative and relevant my study is and why it qualifies for funding. Discussion There are various organizations, agencies, and units (federal, non-profit or corporate) that could fund or sponsor financial awards and grants in the area of Organizational Leadership Psychology. These include, but they are not limited to, International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP), Spencer, William T. Grant Foundation, International Association of Business and Management Professionals, etc. For this particular task, I will concern myself with the Spencer Foundation. Founded in 1962, the foundation seeks “to investigate ways in which education, broadly conceived, can be improved around the world” (Spencer Foundation, 2017). In essence, the foundation seeks to fund and support research that is not only innovative but also well-designed and intended to contribute towards the further development of education – either at the instructive or organizational level. To execute its mandate, the Spencer Foundation has two main programs. These are the Small Research Grants Program and the Lyle Spencer Research Awards. For this undertaking, I would be interested in the former. My field of study has specific inclination in the way organizations work, organization change management, leadership and motivation, etc. I would be particularly interested in a research study that seeks or attempts to measure the impact of leadership styles of academic institution administrators on the academic achievement of students. This would fall under one of the areas of inquiry under the Small Research Grants Program, i.e. Organizational Learning in Schools, School Systems, and Higher Education Systems. According to the Spencer Foundation, this particular area of inquiry supports research that contributes towards the enhancement of “the capacity of schools and educational systems to operate as learning organizations” (Spencer Foundation, 2017). In essence, Fiol and Lyres (as cited in John, 2002) define organizational learning as an approach towards the improvement of actions via enhanced understanding and knowledge. In that regard, therefore, one of the conditions that, in the words of Collinson, Cook, and Conley (2006), “appear to foster organizational learning in schools….” is “…facilitating the dissemination of learning.” The role of academic institution administrators when it comes to the enhancement of educational systems as learning institutions (one of the tenets of the Spencer Foundation’s area of enquiry) cannot be overstated. This effectively means that my area of interest would most likely qualify for funding under the Small Research Grants Program. A study of this nature would lead to the enhanced understanding of the approaches, systems and structures necessary for optimal student performance. It is important to note that over time, scholars have assigned various definitions to the leadership concept. Some of these view leadership as a concept comprising of two key aspects, i.e. group maintenance and group achievement. This, in a school setting would involve the sustenance as well as enhancement of social relations within the institution, and directing the various groups, teams, or diverse formations (students, teachers, subordinate staff, and other stakeholders) towards the achievement of the mission, goals and objectives of the academic institution. Virtually all academic institutions seek to be centers of knowledge acquisition and academic excellence. Given that some of the administrative roles of school heads include the management, controlling, as well as directing of various issues that pertain to the enhancement of education in a specific academic setting, there is need to assess and evaluate optimal approaches to the management of educational institutions. One of the preconditions for this program is a budget of $50,000 or less for proposed research projects. The budget for my proposed research study does not exceed this cap. This is more so the case given the small sample size. It should however be noted that care has been taken to ensure that the move to use a smaller sample size in this case does not in any way undermine results validity. The tentative topic for my applied research project would be ‘measuring impact of leadership styles of academic institution administrators on the academic achievement of students: a perspective on public school systems.’ The research question my research undertaking would be seeking to answer is whether the leadership styles of school administrators has any influence on the academic achievement of students and overall school performance. In the end, therefore, the study would seek to not only identify but also propose to public school heads an appropriate leadership model. As per the preconditions of qualification for funding, Spencer Foundation points out that one of the key reasons proposals are rejected is lack of a clear conceptual or theoretical framework. The conceptual framework of the proposed study is adequate and meets one of the Foundation’s goal of ensuring that the “proposed research will contribute to, or challenge current understandings of education, and the possible connections of findings to educational improvement.” To further enhance and meet the expected quality for successful review, there would also be need for well formulated research questions, appropriate research design, and well-defined timelines and budget needs. All these are areas that reviewers focus on so as to determine the quality and relevance of proposed studies.