A Qualitative Study Exploring Federal Education Policy Implementation in Child Welfare Agencies

Date of Award

Fall 2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership (EdD)

Committee Chair

Valerie Storey

Committee Member

Yuerong Sweetland

Committee Member

Lori Salgado

Abstract

The 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into legislation to increase educational stability for youth in care through increased partnership and collaboration between child welfare and educational agences. This qualitative study explored the critical factors that impact the efforts of child welfare agencies (CWA) to implement ESSA. The general systems theory and Edwards’ policy implementation model were used to guide the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight individuals from the Texas Department of Family Protective Services, and a focus group was conducted with six representatives from Region 10 Texas Education Agency. A thematic approach was taken to analyze participant responses and identify key themes in the data. Six core themes highlight leadership, resources, training, communication, collaboration and accountability, and politics and finances. A thorough discussion of the findings is presented. The study provided theoretical and practical implications suggesting CWAs take notice of the importance of leadership influence and develop systematic interventions to aid in implementation efforts.

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