Education Commons^™

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 …

Exploring The Role Of Communication In Relational Outcomes In A High School Setting, Paul S. Butler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An action research study in a high school setting applies the Organization-Public Relationships (O-PR) theoretical frame to a short-term communications initiative designed to elicit measurable engagement in the initiative and increased parent feelings of commitment and trust in their relationship with the school. A survey administered before the initiative yields actionable data on communication needs and preferences, levels of satisfaction, and parent feelings of commitment and trust. Survey data gathered after the communication initiative is used to determine changes in levels of satisfaction, commitment and trust. Among the findings are verified and consistent indications of secondary engagement in the communication …

Principal Leadership In K-12 Public Virtual Schools: More Than A Response To Covid-19, Mary Lynne Derrington, Jeana M. Partin

Journal of Educational Supervision

The purpose of this study was to explore Tennessee’s virtual public school K-12 principals’ a) instructional leadership and b) development of a social presence. In this qualitative study, the researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with virtual school principals in Tennessee. Findings suggest that they are intrapreneurs adept at developing a social presence with students, teachers, and parents. The researchers conclude that principals in virtual schools have a degree of autonomy in instructional leadership responsibilities, including curriculum selection and staffing. In addition, virtual school principals are both flexible in their strategies to meet students’ needs and technologically competent. Further studies might focus …

Regenerating Professional Learning: The Influence Of Relationships On Teacher Identity, Agency, And Advocacy, Todd W. Mckinley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Professional development for teachers gained more attention with the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 2001. However, reform efforts spurred by this act focused mainly on training for specific programs and curriculum materials, resulting in little attention to instruction. In the last thirty or more years, new approaches to professional development have emerged, with teacher leadership, in particular, gaining more attention in studies as an important mechanism for reforming classroom practice to raise student achievement. Research has mainly examined collaborative frameworks to sustain teacher growth through professional learning communities situated within the context of schools and …

Leader Developers: Perspectives Of Mentor Principals In An Administrator Preparation Program, Patricia Virella, Casey Cobb

Journal of Educational Supervision

Principal preparation programs use various components to develop candidates, including course work, core assessments, and field-based internships or practicums. The internship represents an exceptionally high leverage learning opportunity (Lochmiller, 2014). The success of the internship depends highly on the abilities of a mentor via informal instructional supervision. Mette (2020) explains that supervision has a potential transformational quality. This study explores mentorships in a university principal preparation program through the mentor’s perspective. We interviewed a sample of mentors nominated as effective by peer and program informants. We learned that mentors were deliberate in developing three specific skills -- metacognitive ability, developmental …

Leading For School Change In A Divided Community, Casey Jakubowski

Journal of Educational Supervision

This case study examines the intersection of rural education, new leadership, and supervising teachers when a power imbalance exists. Using a real-life example of supervision and professional interactions, this case study focuses future administrators on the real-life conflicts inherent in supervision and employee rights. The case study examines the inherent power dynamics in some rural school systems, where changing demographics have resulted in the dissonance between what the Board of Education, the superintendent, and a newly appointed principal see as an educational environment for cultural responsiveness which acknowledges changes in the community and the pre-existing, established norms. The interactions between …

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 …

School Principals And Instructional Coaches: An Examination Of Their Working Relationships In Maine Schools, Theresa J. Gillis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School principals are charged with being instructional leaders and yet they are tasked with obligations and face daily challenges that often make this an unrealistic expectation. According to the Maine Department of Education, 225 instructional coaches work in 53 Maine school districts. Instructional coaches provide feedback and support for teachers geared towards professional growth. This study will explore how instructional coaches and school principals can work together to support teaching and learning. While both school principals and instructional coaches “share the ultimate goal of effecting positive change” (Hall & Simeral, 2008, p. 23) their relationships may not always promote this …

The Effect Of Leadership Change On School Climate, Brian D. Bannen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School climate affects student achievement, feelings of safety within the school, and teacher job satisfaction. Concurrently, the principal is often seen as someone with a direct influence on the climate of the school, and therefore someone who has a direct role in shaping these aspects of school climate. Recent data suggests that about one in five principals leaves the profession every year, which means that every year, one in every five schools experiences a change to its climate, and a change to its achievement, safety, and teacher satisfaction. If this trend continues, schools are going to continue to feel the …

Implementation And Teacher Leadership Of Collaborative Efforts During The Challenges Surrounding The Covid-19 Pandemic, George R. Mayfield Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation and teacher leadership of collaborative work in the era of hybrid and online learning necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic in a medium-sized suburban/rural high school in central Maine. In situations of intense challenge like this, collaborating with colleagues to produce new teaching and learning modalities can be a beneficial task. Structures like professional learning groups (PLG) provide a means to support and enhance opportunities for just such a task. The study elucidated the levels of implementation of our PLG efforts and sought to inform future use of PLG structures as …

Reliability Evidence For The Nc Teacher Evaluation Process Using A Variety Of Indicators Of Inter-Rater Agreement, T. Scott Holcomb, Richard Lambert, Bryndle L. Bottoms

Journal of Educational Supervision

In this study, various statistical indexes of agreement were calculated using empirical data from a group of evaluators (n = 45) of early childhood teachers. The group of evaluators rated ten fictitious teacher profiles using the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation Process (NCTEP) rubric. The exact and adjacent agreement percentages were calculated for the group of evaluators. Kappa, weighted Kappa, Gwet’s AC1, Gwet’s AC2, and ICCs were used to interpret the level of agreement between the group of raters and a panel of expert raters. Similar to previous studies, Kappa statistics were low in the presence of high levels of …

Instructional Supervision: Is It Culturally Responsive? A Textbook Analysis, Patricia L. Guerra, A. Minor Baker, Ann Marie Cotman

Journal of Educational Supervision

The purpose of this study was to determine whether and to what degree textbooks are preparing aspiring principals as culturally responsive instructional supervisors. After evaluating multiple textbooks against selection criteria, SuperVision and Instructional Leadership: A Developmental Approach, was identified as the study’s unit of analysis. An audit of the subject index was conducted to answer: How are culturally responsive instructional supervision competencies addressed in this leading supervision textbook? Findings revealed content related to cultural responsiveness was concentrated in a chapter at the back of the textbook and the clinical supervision cycle, a powerful means of changing instructional practices (Gordon, …

Personal Reflections On Supervision As Instructional Leadership: From Whence It Came And To Where Shall It Go?, Jeffrey Glanz

Journal of Educational Supervision

The field of supervision has perennially struggled to define itself and, hence, find a niche within the larger field of education and, more narrowly, even within the field of instructional leadership. A sort of an odd, almost contradictory state exists, one in which precludes, in my opinion, the field of supervision from gaining traction as a field, but also, perhaps more importantly, as an influential practice in schools. Books on supervision seem popular, but only in title. In others words, publishers, for instance, prefer the word "supervision" as part of the title of books they publish on the subject, whereas …

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 …

Semiotic Analysis Of A Foundational Textbook Used Widely Across Educational Supervision, Dwayne Ray Cormier, Toshna Pandey

Journal of Educational Supervision

This article details a semiotic analysis of a foundational textbook used widely across the field of supervision. The purpose of this study was to explore how signs associated with key concepts in education may actualize through the work of supervision. The textbook served as a proxy for supervisors’ professional disposition and subsequent praxis within educational leadership and teacher education programs and U.S. PreK-12 school systems. Additionally, investigators served as proxies for equity-minded supervisors through an analytical framework, which centers race and cultural differences within the broader context of social justice. This investigation drew from the following theoretical constructions: (a) Sociocultural …

Examining Opportunities For Higher-Order Thinking In Secondary And Middle-Level Proficiency-Based Mathematics Classrooms, Quinton Donahue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2011, the state of Maine introduced a statute that required all diplomas to be awarded on the basis of proficiency by 2017. During this period of time, school districts moved to incorporate Proficiency-based Education (PBE) systems of instruction and learning. This prompted educators to bring clarity to standards, assessment, and grading practices. In many schools, they also began to focus on the idea that mastery drives movement. Districts were encouraged to integrate higher-order thinking opportunities for students when making these changes to their learning system. Despite this guidance, it is not clear as to the extent that higher-order thinking …

Supervision To Deepen Teacher Candidates’ Understanding Of Social Justice: The Role Of Responsive Mediation In Professional Development Schools, Megan E. Lynch

Journal of Educational Supervision

Those responsible for supervising teacher candidates have an obligation to promote socially just pedagogies. In this paper, I investigate my own supervisory practice as a novice supervisor in my mediation of a teacher candidate’s understanding of social justice. I rely on a sociocultural theoretical perspective (Vygotsky, 1978) and the psychological tool of responsive mediation (Johnson & Golombek, 2016) for my supervisory practice and an anti-capitalist interpretation of socially just teaching (Apple, 2004; Ayers, 2010; Bowles & Gintis, 2011). Through a microgenetic analysis (Wertsch, 1985) of a post-observation transcript, I empirically document the developmental opportunities that take place over a span …

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 …

Addressing Dehumanizing Mathematical Practices: Using Supervisory Leaders’ Experiential Knowledge To Transform The Mathematics Classroom, Allison Mudd, Stefanie D. Livers, Artavia Acklin, Tommy Acklin, Linda D. Harper, Tiffany Davis

Journal of Educational Supervision

Deficit language concerning historically marginalized students pervades much of education today. Black, Brown, and Indigenous children experience marginalization and dehumanizing practices in classrooms instead of participating in a safe space to learn and grow. For this paper we employ a crucial component from Critical Race Theory to address systemic racism in schools: we listen to the lived experiences of professionals of color. These personal narratives open avenues for social justice through critiquing current and historical political, economic, and sociocultural practices and policies. This study examined how four Black collaborators – one high school principal, one middle school principal, one elementary …

A Quantitative Study Of Mathematics Anxiety In First-Generation Pre-Service Teachers, Wendi Malenfant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many pre-service teachers suffer from mathematics anxiety which can lead to mathematics avoidance, poor mathematics performance, and the potential to pass on mathematics anxiety to their future students. More and more first-generation college students, who also suffer from math anxiety, are attending four-year universities and studying to be teachers. School leaders, educators, and researchers must recognize the serious nature of mathematics anxiety, how it negatively impacts learners, and how the cycle is perpetuated if the root causes of mathematics anxiety are not mitigated, especially in elementary teachers.

This quantitative study, which utilized an anonymous mathematics anxiety survey, examined the prevalence …

Empowering Teachers Through Instructional Supervision: Using Solution Focused Strategies In A Leadership Preparation Program, Marla W. Mcghee, Marcella D. Stark

Journal of Educational Supervision

The purpose of this study was to determine how students in an educational leadership preservice program perceived the effectiveness of solution-focused supervision (SFS) taught in an instructional supervision class. Interviews, observations, and artifacts, and a case study design, were applied to address two primary research questions. Findings revealed the use of solution-focused (SF) strategies produced positive outcomes, but required dramatic paradigm shifts from study participants. Moreover, the researchers found that respondents used a wide range of SF strategies in the clinical cycle exercise. Participants, furthermore, affirmed that SF structures and language promoted reflection, conversation, and empowerment of teachers. These positive …

Examining Factors Predictive Of Hazing In Ncaa Division Iii Athletics And Considering The Implications For Prevention, David James Kerschner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hazing is a concern throughout postsecondary education, with students experiencing psychological, emotional, and physical harm. Although several scholars have identified college athletes to be an at-risk group for hazing and Division III is the largest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), there is a lack of research focused on hazing in this context. Utilizing a critical quantitative research paradigm and considering limitations of the extant literature focused on NCAA Division III, I examined the nature and extent of varsity athlete and non-athlete hazing and factors predictive of hazing experiences for students and varsity athletes at five NCAA Division …

The Impact Of Elementary Mathematics Coaches On Elementary Teachers' Attitudes Towards Teaching Mathematics, Samuel R. Ward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study compares levels of mathematics anxiety and teacher efficacy between inservice and preservice elementary teachers. Prior research has indicated that mathematics anxiety is a common trait among elementary teachers. Mathematics anxiety has also been found to have a negative impact on preservice elementary teachers’ efficacy towards teaching mathematics. To address this challenge, some states have begun hiring elementary mathematics coaches to support elementary teachers. Besides focusing on mathematics anxiety and teacher efficacy, this study also investigated the impacts of elementary mathematics coaches on inservice elementary teachers.

A total of 174 inservice teachers and 51 preservice teachers completed a survey …

A Thirty State Analysis Of Teacher Supervision And Evaluation Systems In The Essa Era, Ian M. Mette, Israel Aguilar, Douglas Wieczorek

Journal of Educational Supervision

We analyzed teacher supervision and evaluation policy systems in 30 states since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 in the United States (US). This qualitative study of state ESSA policy documents and legislation examined how teacher supervision and evaluation systems (TSES) models have been developed under ESSA, specifically regarding how the construction of TSES models conflated formative feedback with summative evaluation. Despite evolving federal-level and state-level education accountability policies spurred by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2001, we argue that TSES systems are influenced by state-level historical political culture (Elazar, 1994; Fowler, 2013), workplace …

Making A Shift In Educator Evaluation, Diane M. Carreiro

Journal of Educational Supervision

The educator evaluation process can be a compliance task as well as an arduous process causing stress and anxiety for educators and their evaluators. The evaluation process in this suburban district is changing. Educators and evaluators are working together to create a new knowledge base and share it amongst their school community and others. Educators are being allowed voice and choice when determining how they will be evaluated and the areas in which they are going to focus their own personal growth. Teachers are becoming school-based experts on the topics that they are learning and researching. This has allowed for …

To Be Continued: Carl Glickman’S Work As The Beginning Of The Story, Sara Espinoza

Journal of Educational Supervision

Carl Glickman's life has been dedicated to researching and supporting school improvement initiatives that honor purposeful student learning. Currently, this kind of learning stands in contrast to mainstream educational practices. As a means of inviting school leaders to apply his work, this article highlights the commons threads in Glickman's writings, demonstrates their immediate relevance to all educators, and offers suggestions for taking action. With a framework of instructional supervision that emphasizes community, diversity, empowerment, democracy, and authenticity, there is a greater hope for bettering America's schools.

Role Enactment And Types Of Feedback: The Influence Of Leadership Content Knowledge On Instructional Leadership Efforts, Sarah Quebec Fuentes, Jo Beth Jimerson

Journal of Educational Supervision

Instructional leadership is a primary task of school leaders, but this work may be complicated when leaders and teachers do not share content area or grade level expertise. Work around leadership content knowledge (LCK) acknowledges that school leaders cannot know everything about teaching in the content areas, but suggests leaders can work to bridge this divide. Still, little is known about how leaders’ LCK intersects with their efforts to support improvements in teaching and learning. The purpose of this study was to explore ways in which LCK facilitates or, in its absence, hinders instructional leadership efforts. Thirty-one teachers and school …

The Supervision-Evaluation Debate Meets The Theory-To-Practice Conundrum: Contemplations Of A Practitioner Turned Professor, Marla W. Mcghee

Journal of Educational Supervision

This article explores the tension between instructional supervision and teacher evaluation inherent in the professional literature and in practice. Moreover, it suggests engaging in formal appraisal processes less often to allow instructional leaders and classroom teachers more time for formative support for growth and improvement. Finally, this piece offers a range of formative development options and advocates teachers as educational professionals at a time when teacher quality and retention to the profession are paramount.

An Analysis Of Superintendent And Principal Perceptions Regarding The Supervision And Evaluation Of Principals, Courtney Ann Mckim, David Hvidston, Barbara J. Hickman

Journal of Educational Supervision

The goals for this study were to examine principals’ perceptions regarding their own supervision and evaluation and compare to superintendents’ perceptions regarding the supervision and evaluation of principals. Three research questions guided the inquiry: (1) What are the perceptions of principal and superintendents’ regarding their own supervision?; (2) What are the perceptions of principal and superintendents’ regarding their own evaluation?; and (3) What are the differences in perceptions of principal and superintendents’ regarding supervision and evaluation? This study followed a descriptive format and used a 20 item on-line survey to measure principal and superintendents’ perceptions regarding critical elements in their …

An Exploration Of Technology Leadership In Three Maine Public School Districts, David L. Fournier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The promise of technology for positively influencing student outcomes is being hampered by a lack of understanding of who is leading technology in public schools and differing beliefs of technology use among technology leaders. The purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to describe and understand the nature of technology leadership in three Maine public school districts. Research questions explored the roles, responsibilities, values, and beliefs of the technology leaders and examined how technology leaders mobilized stakeholders in using technology to positively influence student outcomes. Fifteen participants were interviewed from across three case sites. Data analysis was guided by the …