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Critical Awareness, Reflection, And Action In Head Start Leadership: A Critical Consciousness Case Study Of Head Start Leaders, Christopher Pearce Agudelo

Dissertations and Theses

Diverse families with preschool-aged children are at an enhanced risk of marginalization in the United States. Whether they are of a different race, level of ability, gender, or socioeconomic background, they need early childhood leaders and educators who can focus on caring for their children. In this exploratory qualitative study, I conducted five open-ended interviews with Head Start education managers--a similar position to a preschool Director or a K-12 Principal. The objective was to understand better how Head Start Education Managers attend to equity and inclusion via critical awareness, critical reflection, and critical action. I utilized the three-element construct of …

Learning, Identity And Agency : Secondary Mathematics Professional Developers' Lived Experiences Of Participation And Collaborative Inquiry In Professional Learning Communities, Susan Stein

Dissertations and Theses

This study of professional development for professional developers used a narrative inquiry design to understand the lived experience of two professional developers as they participated in professional learning communities (inquiry groups), and learned to improve their practice as inquiry group facilitators. The study's purposes included: investigating professional developers' experience and practice in inquiry groups; amplifying professional developers' voices in the professional development field; and suggesting recommendations for educational leadership.

A literature review developed a framework grounded in social, situated learning theory. It revealed that professional development needed to provide teachers with opportunities to collaborate in inquiry groups to solve problems …