An analysis of leadership decisions in implementing middle school standards-based foreign language program

The purpose of this study was to analyze the decision-making process of school leaders in implementing standards in the foreign language programs at the middle school level. Based on the relevant literature, a conceptual framework for the study provided the contexts in which the decisions were made, namely: the development of standards-driven state and district curriculum guides in the area of foreign languages, middle school philosophy and reform efforts, and foreign language program models and theories. The inquiry about the leadership decisions for this study focused on three areas: (1) to determine what decisions were being made in implementing the foreign language programs in the sample middle schools; (2) to determine what factors influenced the decision making for foreign language program reform at the school levels; and, (3) to compare documents that guided the decisions for implementation of the standards-driven foreign language programs.;To examine the elements of leadership decision making, a qualitative, cross-case study was conducted. The comparison of documents and the use of oral interviews of educational leaders and foreign language teachers provided sufficient data to analyze what and how decisions were being made in a large, urban school district in Georgia. The findings indicated that the decisions were influenced by the development of the state curriculum guide called the Georgia Quality Core Curriculum, and that leaders were involved in decision making with the collaboration of the district foreign language coordinator and the school foreign language teachers.;Considering the complexity of the decision making process and the role leaders played in varied relationships among constituencies, the conclusions of the study disclosed the following results of leadership decision making for foreign language programs in this school district: (1) The decisions were made basically through the collaboration of the district level foreign language coordinators and the middle school foreign language teachers. (2) Foreign language programs aligned with district, state, and national standards. (3) The influence of the broader context and characteristics of middle school curriculum helped shape the foreign language middle school programs. The designation of a school-based instructional leader to ensure that standards were in fact being implemented into the classroom practices was needed.