Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2017, College of Education

This qualitative case study explored the experiences of two principals at two urban school districts in Ohio during the No Child Left Behind era. Each principal was affected by NCLB sanctions yet successfully turned around a low-performing school. Critical Race Theory and Social Learning Theory were used as the conceptual frameworks. The case study involved six semi-structured interviews, as well as the use of survey questionnaires along with the collection of archival data. The intent of this study was to (1) investigate the impact of school sanctions on communities from the perspective of practitioners in urban settings who successfully transformed schools in the era of school accountability and (2) investigate the financial implications of NCLB sanctions on public schools

Committee: Judy Alston Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Rosaire Ifedi Ed.D. (Committee Member); Tanzeah Sharpe Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Finance; Educational Leadership; School Administration