Education Commons^™

Encouraging A Sustainable Model For Professional Learning: Implementing District Wide Initiatives As An External Consultant In The United States, Vicente C. Bustamante

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Effectuating the adoption of research proven instructional practices across the classrooms of an entire school district is a dauting task. Traditionally, the incorporation of external consultants has been met with mixed responses particularly when it involves teacher professional learning and the sustainability of learned practices in the classroom. This Dissertation-in-Practice seeks to understand the complex relationship that exists when external consultants partner with school districts to assist in the adoption and implementation of instructional practices across an entire organization. Through the incorporation of instructional and transformational leadership lenses, the role of the external consultant is leveraged as a mechanism to …

A Case Study Of Mathematical Instructional Leadership, Theresa Haack

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation looks at the impact of instructional leadership in mathematics teaching on teachers at various stages in their careers. Using a case study methodology, the researcher explores the nuanced needs and effective strategies for beginning, mid-career, and established teachers. Peer instructional leaders provided data that involved a mix of qualitative methods, including surveys, interviews, and questionnaires, targeting five assistant principals selected randomly from diverse school environments. The study identifies common themes and differences in instructional approaches, highlighting how strategies vary and overlap across different career stages. Analysis gives insights into the practical application of leadership in educational settings, emphasizing …

Principals As Instructional Leaders: Supporting New Middle School Principals To Implement Systems Allowing For Instructional Leadership, Jason Kaiz

Dissertations

This study is a collection, interpretation, and, eventually, recommendations based on data collected through interviews with current middle school principals. The research questions examine how middle school principals can increase their effectiveness as an instructional leader within the building. The research begins by examining the factors contributing to the principal being an instructional leader and what systems can be implemented to support this goal. These systems should include the ability for principals to facilitate learning for staff, just as staff facilitate learning within their classroom. Policy implications and recommendations highlight the need to look at resources available for principals as …

Perceptions Of Tennessee Principals Of Their Supervisors’ Role In Developing Their Instructional Leadership Capacity, Brandie P. Arnold

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of Tennessee principals of their supervisor’s role in developing their instructional leadership capacity. This basic qualitative study gathered the perspectives of elementary principals. The participants included ten Tennessee elementary principals. Principals in the five participating school districts participated in semi-structured interviews for the qualitative study. Data from the interviews was collected, transcribed, coded, and analyzed. The qualitative results found the following four themes from the principal interviews: current direct support, professional development, ensuring strong relationships, and intentional communication. Principals receive support; however, the support is unstructured and primarily …

Advancing Instructional Leadership: Instructional Coaching Skills Development Through Mixed Reality Experiences, Marjorie Ceballos, Krista Bixler

Journal of Educational Supervision

Educational leadership preparation programs are tasked with advancing the development of future educational leaders’ instructional capacities, including the ability to engage teachers in instructional conversations through instructional coaching. The educational leadership program studied here includes a mixed reality experience designed to develop future educational leaders’ instructional coaching conversation skills. Therefore, the purpose of this research study was to examine future educational leaders’ perceptions of the development of instructional coaching conversation skills because of participation in the mixed reality experience. Findings indicated that, overall, participants held positive views of the mixed reality experience in supporting their development of instructional coaching conversation …

The Culture Of Innovation In Seminaries And Institutes Of Religion: A Phenomenological Study, Griffin Dean Sorenson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of seminary principals in Seminaries and Institutes of Religion (S&I) as they have been called to innovate within an environment that may not support it. The central research question is What are the beliefs, attitudes, and desires of instructional leaders (seminary principals) in released-time seminary programs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding a call to innovate in a culture that may not support it? The theory guiding this study is Christensen’s disruptive innovation theory, as it outlines what is required to support innovation …

Elementary School Administrators’ Preparedness In The Area Of Special Education Leadership: Implications For School Administrative Preparation Programs, Jeanette E. Wojcik

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

This study explores the perceived preparedness of elementary school building leaders in special education leadership and its implications for school administrative preparation programs. This study aimed to address this problem by examining two research questions. The first was to investigate course offerings in administrative preparation programs in New York State (NYS) to better understand how many special education-specific classes are included in such programs. The second research question was to explore the extent to which public elementary school building leaders in Long Island, New York perceive their preparedness for managing special education issues related to their professional duties, staff, and …

Learning From Post-Observation Conferences: Emerging Measures Of And Mechanisms To Improve Principals’ Feedback To Teachers, Alyson L. Lavigne, Shanena Allen, Shiquan Shao, Jorge Americo Acosta Feliz

Journal of Educational Supervision

As principals seek to strengthen their impact on teaching and learning, it is critical to understand how principals provide feedback to teachers about their instruction and the focus of those conversations. This study examined the content and quality of principals’ (N = 4) verbal feedback to teachers (N = 11) during post-observation conferences (N = 11) and teachers’ perceptions of that feedback. In post-observation conferences, principals emphasized students’ opportunities to learn and supportive classroom environment, but rarely provided feedback on curriculum sequencing, the balance of procedural and conceptual knowledge, and teachers’ review and feedback to students. The …

The Influence Of Secondary Principals' Perceived Trust Of Assistant Principals And Central Office Supervisors On Principal Self-Efficacy For Instructional Leadership, Cody J. Reutzel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although self-efficacy has been studied widely in education, variables associated with the self-efficacy of principals have received relatively limited attention. The current study investigated the relationship between secondary principals’ perceptions of trust in their assistant principal and central office supervisor and their own self-efficacy for instructional leadership. Surveys were collected from 80 secondary principals. Open-ended questions were utilized to gain greater understanding of the behaviors contributing to principals’ perceptions of trust and feelings of self-efficacy. Data were analyzed using correlation and multiple regression. Quantitative results revealed that no statistically significant relationship is present between trust perceptions in the relationships investigated …

A Quantitative Methods Examination Of The Relationship Between Student Academic Performance And The Race And Gender Of School Administrators, Tiffaney Whitt

Dissertations

This quantitative methods study identified and tested research-based constructs of school administrators’ race and gender compared to discipline, attendance, and academic achievement. This study aimed to address inequities in educational practices, policies, and systems that directly impact student academic success in schools. The quantitative analyses included statistical ANOVAs and t-tests that examined a convenience sample of 68 elementary school administrators' annual accountability data from 68 Missouri urban elementary schools. To determine differences between the gender and race of school administrators and discipline, attendance, and student proficiency, the researcher examined secondary data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education …

Distribution Of Instructional Leadership Roles Within A School Organization, Zora Wolfe, Kim-Kathie Knudsen, Abbie Mahaffey

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Educational leaders are tasked with many managerial responsibilities as well as instructional leadership roles. However, effective instructional leadership is a critical factor in improving student achievement. The purpose of this study was to explore how instructional leadership is distributed within a school organization, specifically examining the perceptions of district, building, and teacher leaders in relation to their roles in instructional leadership and the barriers to effective instructional leadership. Qualitative interviews were conducted with district office leaders, building leaders, and instructional coaches, and their responses to the questions were reviewed, categorized, and coded using Crewell’s Data Analysis Spiral (2011).

Data from …

High School Administrators’ Perspectives Of Leadership Practices Influencing Teacher Leadership And Culture, Andrea H. Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a southeastern state in the United States, a gap in practice exists regarding the consistent implementation of instructional leadership practices to promote teacher leadership and culture in schools. The purpose of this study was to explore administrators’ perspectives of their implementation of instructional leadership practices to influence teacher leadership and culture. The conceptual framework for this qualitative approach was Bass and Avolio’s transformational leadership theory. The research question focused on high school administrators’ perceptions of the instructional leadership practices they are using to influence teacher leadership and school culture. Purposive sampling was used, and six high school administrators participated …

Administrators' Capacity For Supporting Reform-Oriented Science Instruction: An Urban School District Case Study, Venicia Ferrell, Joanna K. Garner

Center for Educational Partnerships Publications

Secondary school administrators play a vital role as instructional leaders, but little is known about their knowledge of science practices and perceptions of strategies for supporting reform-oriented science instruction. This multiphase, mixed-methods Q-Methodology study explored administrators' perceptions of instructional leadership and, in particular, high-quality science instruction. After a concourse of 40 items was developed through a review of literature and an expert panel, n = 22 administrators from one urban school district completed a Q-sort and a post-sort questionnaire in which they commented on a lesson excerpt. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation was used to assimilate the participants into …

The Facade Of Instructional Leadership – The Patterns And Priorities Of Principals In Guiding And Driving Effective Classroom Instructional Practices, Jerad Hyden

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The Façade of Instructional Leadership: The Patterns and Priorities of High School Principals in Guiding and Driving Effective Classroom Instructional Practices

Abstract

By Jerad Hyden

University of the Pacific 2023

Classroom walkthroughs are the consistent and systematic observation of instruction in the classroom, and despite research indicating classroom walkthroughs drive student achievement and promote learning, high school principals fail to implement effective classroom walkthroughs on a consistent basis, resulting in teachers not receiving enough guidance and support to improve instruction for student learners. The purpose of this study was to assist and empower high school principals as instructional leaders through …

A Phenomenological Study Of Principals’ Perceptions Of Instructional Leadership In The Context Of Mandated Teacher Evaluation, Gabrielle P. Delatte

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The literature on instructional leadership includes the practices in which principals can engage (Stein & Nelson, 2003) and discusses how the principal’s leadership practices can be mediated by the teacher observation tool within the teacher evaluation system (Spillane, Halverson, & Diamond, 2001). However, the literature includes less about how and why leaders enact those instructional leadership practices (Spillane et al., 2001; Spillane, 2006) and how the teacher evaluation tool might or might not be influencing that how and why. The purpose of this qualitative study is to produce a description of how principals perceive the instructional leadership they provide teachers …

Socioscientific Issues-Based Instruction: The Messier Side Of (Leading) Science Teaching, Savannah Graham, Mark Bloom, Sarah Quebec Fuentes, Jo Beth Jimerson

Journal of Educational Supervision

The present case centers on a socioscientific issues-based lesson taught by a preservice teacher (PST) in an AP Biology class. The PST designed and delivered a lesson on disease transmission and ways to avoid infection with connections to the COVID-19 pandemic mask mandates and vaccine reticence. The Principal received several emails from parents (positive and negative), citing the incorporation of political issues and critical race theory into the science lesson. With this framing, the case depicts how the Principal, PST, university supervisor, and cooperating teacher navigate the situation. The case highlights the role of school leader as instructional leader. In …

System-Level Leaders’ Local Control Of Teacher Supervision And Evaluation Under Every Student Succeeds Act, Douglas Wieczorek, Israel Aguilar, Ian M. Mette

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article investigates school system leaders’ influence and control over local teacher supervision and evaluation systems (TSES) guided by the United States’ (U.S.) Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Using qualitative, textual document analysis methods, we analyzed 50 states’ ESSA policies to determine the extent to which local education agencies have flexible TSES authority granted by state and federal guidelines. The study findings indicate that a majority of U.S. state-level policies mandate standardized TSES tools and processes at the local district level. In order to optimally meet students’ and teachers’ needs, we recommend that systems-level leaders prioritize community driven visions for …

Principles Of Coaching For Coaching Of Principals: A Self-Directed Approach, Suzanne M. Kimball

Theses and Dissertations

Research on school districts has repeatedly found that focusing on student learning and instructional leadership is a key component to effectiveness (Murphy & Hallinger, 1988; Leithwood, 2010; Anderson & Young, 2018). Districts are currently undergoing a redefinition of roles in order to specifically support principals as instructional leaders in their schools. This qualitative case study describes how one district began to develop a system for supporting principals through incorporating leadership coaching. This study shares the perspectives of principal supervisors and other district specialists as they built their own capacities to be effective coaches. The complexity of simultaneously developing skills in …

Advancing A Democratic Pedagogy And Supervision Framework: An Illustrative Case Of Teacher Questioning In Secondary Mathematics Instruction, Esther A. Enright, Douglas Wieczorek

Journal of Educational Supervision

This article pushes back against the evalu-centric view of improvement (Hazi, 2018; 2020) in the supervision literature by advocating for a democratic pedagogy and supervision framework developed to support instructional supervision and evaluation dialogue between teachers and leaders. This democratized approach honors and centers the teacher’s expertise and learning as well as the leader’s in the observation, debrief, and reflection process. Through this decentering of expertise in the instructional supervision cycle, our goal is to build leaders’ and teachers’ mutual capacity to develop, implement, and sustain democratic instructional supervision cultures in classrooms and schools. Additionally, we illustrate our framework through …

Principal Supervisors Coaching Practices For Developing School Principals' Instructional Leadership Capacity, Jamila M. Mannie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Across the United States performance expectations of principal supervisors are shifting from a focus on compliance to a focus on instructional leadership development. The problem addressed in this study was that principal supervisors were applying feedback and coaching approaches inconsistently as they addressed school principals’ growth as instructional leaders. The conceptual framework was transformational leadership, through which leaders encourage, inspire, and motivate employees to innovate and create change that can help grow and shape future academic success for the students they serve. The research questions were designed to explore how principal supervisors provide feedback and coaching to develop school principals’ …

Administrators And Teachers' Perceptions Of Instructional Leadership Practices To Increase Student Achievement, Keyna Crawford Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe lack of achievement in public schools has been a concern globally and has negatively affected the growth of communities and the economy. School principals have a central role in implementing effective instructional practices and creating a positive teaching and learning environment that fosters student achievement. The problem addressed was a lack of instructional leadership in a British territory. The conceptual framework for this research was the instructional leadership model of Hallinger and Murphy, which defines three main dimensions of instructional leadership: (a) defining the school's mission, (b) managing the instructional program, and (c) promoting a positive school learning climate. …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Principal Supervisors’ Perceptions Of Equity-Based Instructional Leadership, Dontae Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

Principal supervisors play a critical role in supporting school principals. However, historically, principal supervisors were ill prepared to address these challenges at either the district or school level. Since 2011, the role of the principal supervisors has been reexamined to provide better outcomes for students and increased support for principals. The development of equity-based instructional leadership practices was identified and therefore added to the tools focused on developing transformative, race-conscious, and culturally responsive educational leadership. The problem explored in this qualitative study is that little research has focused on the perceptions of principal supervisors to improve equitable practices in schools …

But Are They Good Teachers? Examining Who Takes Up Teacher Leadership And How Their Instruction Differs From Their Peers, Peter D. Wiens, Jori S. Beck

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Teacher leaders function in many roles in supporting school success including instructional leadership and supporting colleagues. This study draws upon the Status of the Social Studies Survey (Fitchett & Vanfossen, 2013) to examine the responses of 6,702 US-based middle and high school social studies teachers to understand the antecedents of teacher leadership and the instructional practices of these individuals compared to their peers. Survey responses indicate that the vast majority of social studies teachers report participating in some aspect of teacher leadership. Teacher leaders tend to be less experienced and have less educational attainment while employing more research-based instructional techniques.

The Influence Of The Principal Instructional Leadership Of Theacer's Job Satisfaction At Vocational Secondary Schools, Hermi Kurnia, Nurtanio Agus Purwanto, Indah Fitoriyati

Jurnal Pendidikan Vokasi

This study aimed to discover the school principal instructional leadership influence on job satisfaction of vocational high school teachers in Sleman Regency, D.I. Yogyakarta. This type of research was ex-post facto with a quantitative approach. The questionnaire was conducted on 91 teachers (71,09% response rate) to examine the influence of principal instructional leadership (X) on teacher job satisfaction (Y). Validation of the instrument used expert judgment and empirical test with the Pearson Product Moment correlation, 43 out of 43 items are declared valid. The instrument reliability test was applied by using Cronbach's Alpha. The results of the reliability test showed …

Building Leadership Capacity In An Instructional Coach: A Principal’S Contribution To The Growth Of A Leader Through The Lens Of Complexity Leadership Theory, Lori Corley

All Dissertations

School leaders are accountable for enabling others to produce innovative outcomes within the environment in which the school operates. This complex environment of the school, defined by greater levels of uncertainty, ambiguity, interdependencies, and interrelatedness (Clarke, 2013), is a place where complex problems are best solved with complex responses (Marion and Uhl-Bien, 2011) by the instructional leaders within the system. In light of this understanding, it is important to examine how instructional leaders within the school grow as leaders through the lens of complexity leadership theory. Although existing research examines what instructional leaders need to do to be effective, there …

Peer-To-Peer Feedback: An Instructional Strategy In Teacher Evaluation, Brady L. Ridge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over the last several decades there have been federal movements in education which place more accountability on schools and consequently their principals. Principals have many responsibilities which vary from administrative duties to improving teaching in their schools. As a result, principals are often asked to do more than they believe they have time to accomplish. Peer-to-peer feedback is a practice that principals can use to help evaluate, and more importantly, help teachers improve their teachers' teaching. This multi-case or multi-school qualitative study researched the practice of peer-to-peer feedback at two elementary schools. The purpose was to understand how peer-to-peer feedback …

Towards A Theory Of Critical Consciousness: A New Direction For The Development Of Instructional And Supervisory Leaders, Shannon R. Waite

Journal of Educational Supervision

COVID-19 and the demand for racial justice caused the dark underbelly of white supremacy to be laid bare during 2020. These events call for a reexamination of the ontological and epistemological frameworks in academe and specifically within the field of educational leadership. The legacy of white supremacist ideology prevails as the existing and accepted ontological and epistemological perspectives of history offered in PreK-12 through post-secondary education. The political, economic, and social context highlights the need for instructional and supervisory leaders to be culturally responsive school leaders. This requires that programs preparing these leaders must grapple with and problematize the existing …

Building School Leader Capacity For Impact, Catherine L. Meyer-Looze, Rick Vandermolen

School Leadership Review

Effective school leaders focus on identifying the changes needed to improve student learning. However, school improvement is often reduced to a checklist of compliance activities, and, consequently, achievement gaps continue to stay the status quo, or even widen. This paper reports on a qualitative case study analyzing how professional learning was implemented by 17 school leaders within a northern Michigan intermediate school district. From 2016-2020, the authors conducted semi-structured interviews, administered a participant needs survey, and analyzed artifacts from a professional learning series for principals. The series, Building Leadership Capacity, was framed using Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, as well as …

The Intersection Of School-Based Leadership Practices And School Grades In The State Of Florida, Wendelynn A. Mcpherson

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this non-experimental, quantitative study was to examine to what degree 12 self-reported leadership behaviors were associated with and predictive of school grades in the state of Florida. The study participant sample was exclusively comprised of educational leaders from elementary schools located in Florida. In this descriptive study, elementary principals were surveyed to determine the frequency of leadership behaviors (independent variable) and school grades (dependent variable). Two research questions and hypotheses were posed to address the study’s research problem. Research question one utilized a simple linear regression to assess the predictive variable of the overall leadership practices for …

The Need For More Educational Leadership Pedagogical Knowledge In Early Elementary, Megan Hallissey

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This exploratory, qualitative multiple-site case study examined how principals’ knowledge of early childhood learning, pedagogy, and practices (or lack of) influences their leadership decisions and assessment of teachers. Data collection included four different elementary school configurations and consisted of multiple data sources including the use of a video simulation. The twelve guidelines of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) and the Professional Standards of Educational Leaders (PSEL) provided a framework for thematic analysis. The results of this study show principals have a limited understanding of early childhood pedagogy which influences their hiring decisions when filling teacher vacancies. Additionally, results indicate principals’ assessments …