Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „Instructional leadership”

Instructional leadership for high school principals is becoming more important as principals are being held increasingly accountable for student achievement results. Principals are next to teachers in impacting learning in the classroom. The problem for high school principals is that they do not feel prepared to be instructional leaders for their school. There are many tasks a principal must handle throughout the day and these tasks take time away from principals acting as the instructional leader for their school. Principals are also not always supported in their development as an instructional leader. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how high school principals have developed into instructional leaders, the obstacles they encountered during this process and their perceptions of the types of external support they received in instructional leadership. The participants in the study included six high school principals from four different school districts. The principals had all been on the job for at least one year. Interview and document data were collected and analyzed for common themes. The findings of the study suggested that when principals receive external support in instructional leadership, there are indications that they begin to develop in this area. District support, mentoring and coaching, team support and reading with purpose were important in the development of the principals. The findings also suggested two obstacles, time and people, for principals as they lead their schools in instruction. Finally, the study’s findings indicated the principals who receive support had positive views of that support. Based on the results of the study, recommendations were made for providing a strong system of support for high school principals in the area of instructional leadership.

Understanding New Principals’ Transition to Instructional Leadership The purpose of this study was to understand the instructional leadership role development of new principals. The overarching research question that guided this study was: How do new principals transition into an instructional leadership role? Using a basic qualitative approach, 12 new principals participated in the study. Data collection included a series of three interviews with each principal. Additionally, they were observed enacting an instructional leadership activity.

Novice principals have a repertoire of strategies they use in an effort to improve instruction. They draw on their experiences to inform their instructional leadership initiatives, relying on familiar approaches with which they have experienced success. A lack of preparation for some aspects of the role is a source of role conflict for new principals.

Multiple school stakeholders – students, staff, parents, and district administrators - influence principals’ conceptualizations of their expected role and require principals to negotiate competing demands. Stakeholders’ conceptualizations of the principal’s role complicate instructional improvement efforts. District messages to focus on important instructional matters conflict with school-level messages to focus on urgent non-instructional matters. Principals find themselves juggling the multiple priorities of the role.

Analysis of these findings suggests that principals require increased support to enact the role effectively. Professional development to address skill gaps promotes instructional practices. Additionally, an area for continued research is the exploration of how effective principals reframe schools so that instructional improvement is both important and urgent.

• has an impact on the preparation of principals for their role as instructional leaders;
• informs the support that principals need with regard to their practice as instructional leaders;
• assists principals to identify appropriate variables to help align their own visions for their schools with the national, provincial and regional visions for the improvement of learner achievement;
• adds value to the existing body of knowledge on instructional leadership and the central role that it plays in improving the achievement levels of learners in the National Senior Certificate; and
• clarifies the fact that "leadership" is not a semantic substitute for "management and administration", but rather an independent construct which is capable of interacting with the latter in the practice of education.

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the personal insights, preferences, and experiences of individuals who graduated from a community leadership development program. Fifteen Bay Area Leadership Program graduates from the Burlington and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada program between 2002-2007 participated in this study. Several inter-related themes emerged from the respondents’ stories and narratives regarding the program elements that influenced the learning experience. Respondents’ acknowledged and recognized that the program had positively impacted their development as a community leader and the community. Through findings from extensive interviews of the graduates, the study: (1) extends current knowledge concerning the development of community leaders; (2) offers community program board members and management an understanding of key program elements that contribute to the learner’s experience; (3) extends evaluation approaches to the personal learning experience and developing theories of leadership to practice; and (4) provides an understanding of long-term program benefits in assisting future funding, supporting long-term sustainability of the community leadership development movement and ultimately strengthening communities.

Evaluation is a delicate dance led by educators. However, this is not a couple’s dance. It is an orchestrated event with many participants and interested stakeholders. When multiple educators collaborate to evaluate groups of students, it is imperative that these educators rehearse their understanding of the assessment process in order to achieve a harmonious and synchronized result. In evaluation this is termed interrater reliability. Rubrics are constructed to map out the steps of evaluation, but it has been shown that the use of rubrics does not result in reliable scores (Alinier, Hunt, Gordon, & Harwood, 2006; Axley, 2008; Stevens, 2013; Todd, Hawkins, Parsons, & Hercinger, 2008).

This research examined the effect of a collaborative dialog between nurse educators to establish consensus for evaluation of student nurse skill performance and their sense of professional community. Videoed student skill performances were the basis for the group dialog. Participants viewed these videos together and discussed evaluation for these student performances. The primary investigator was present to answer any questions that participants had regarding the student nurse performances. The participants used their schools’ evaluation tool to guide their evaluation and the discussion. Individual interviews after the group dialog were used to gather data to address the research questions.

Knowing how to promote the literacy success of all students can be elusive to those aspiring to be school leaders and/or principals. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceived instructional leadership behaviors of principals in schools that experience success in reading on standardized tests. The researcher studied these behaviors by examining school principals’ instructional leadership as identified by the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders and the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale. Student reading proficiency was measured using the ACT Aspire proficiency rating score.

Perceptions of principals were gathered from nine principals and 109 teachers in elementary schools in a district in the southeastern region of the United States. The study was a non-experimental, descriptive, mixed methods research design to identify principals’ leadership behaviors and to determine whether there was a relationship between leadership behavior and student reading proficiency.

A strong positive correlation was found between principal instructional leadership and reading performance on the ACT Aspire, r = 0.722, p = 0.018. Principals substantiated these findings with responses to interview questions that aligned to the leadership dimensions examined in the study. Their responses revealed that they implement research-based instructional leadership strategies on a regular basis. Findings also provide confirmation of the widely held assumption that principals are the “difference-makers” in reading achievement in their schools. Further, the findings from this study add to the literature by linking instructional leadership behaviors to student reading achievement. The researcher presents an implementation plan to provide principals with training on the instructional leadership behaviors needed to positively impact student reading achievement. The implementation plan may be customized to meet the needs of any organization.

For over forty years, researchers, policymakers, and educational leaders have promoted computer technology use within schools to enhance teaching and learning (Culp, Honey, & Mandinach, 2003; U.S. Department of Education, 2010). The effective schools literature of the 1980s suggested principals should be the instructional leader of the school building; however, school principals are often tasked with other administrative and managerial responsibilities diverting their attention from instructional technology (Lashway, 2002; Fullan 2014). Filling this gap requires a school leader who understands the importance of engaging learners with the technological advances of today’s society. Partnering with the principal, the instructional technology leader can aid to improve the school’s learning environment by influencing individual and institutional factors to support classroom technology use (Consortium for School Networking, 2009; International Society for Technology in Education, 2011). Unlike the role of the school principal, the instructional technology leader lacks authoritative power and instead relies on the ability to manage one’s own emotions and attitudes as well as the emotions and attitudes of others (teachers), a process explored in emotional intelligence theory.

Using a blend of portraiture and narrative design methodology, this study explored the experiences of instructional technology leaders under the lens of emotional intelligence. The following question framed this study: How do instructional technology leaders perceive their own emotional intelligence (EI) and the role EI plays in the implementation and integration of instructional technology in the schools they serve?

Education reform has increased accountability measures for principals to ensure all students are achieving. Although student achievement should be the primary focus of a principal, the various responsibilities of the principalship can overshadow instruction. Due to the large number of students, multitude of course offerings, extra-curricular activities, discipline, and operational issues, many high school principals are inundated with responsibilities and challenges that may cause less time to be allocated to curriculum and instruction. These multiple responsibilities can also lead to principal burnout and high turnover rates. To understand how high school principals managed their time to ensure curriculum and instruction was a priority, a qualitative study was conducted. The researcher collected and analyzed data from semi-structured interviews, observations, and documents. The portraiture methodology was then employed to create portraits that would provide a realistic perspective of the high school principal’s experience. The instructional principals in this study each had a co-principal to manage the principalship. This structure should have guaranteed curriculum and instruction would be a priority. However, there were still challenges that would disrupt the focus from instruction. Even with the division of responsibilities, principals felt ownership for anything that transpired on the campus. In spite of the demanding time requirements of the high school principalship, the leaders in this study were very dedicated to the role and student achievement

The students in Title I schools remain the most vulnerable in our education system. Principals in these schools must be exceptional and well prepared. However, principals have been trained in a universal approach that is not sufficient for those who lead schools with high poverty rates as well as culturally and linguistically diverse learners. The purpose of this mixed-methods descriptive study was to gain insight from principals about instructional leadership in Title I schools. Thirty-two principals described their perceptions about the preparation, supports, and challenges necessary to develop instructional leadership, including cultural proficiency for Title I schools. The findings in this study highlight the complexity of the principal role with a specific focus on Title I schools. While principals reported positive experiences as well as support from their leadership preparation programs and school districts, neither was sufficient to fully prepare them to be instructional leaders in Title I schools. Recommendations include a comprehensive, cohesive district coaching and mentoring program that considers elements necessary to build well-prepared and exceptional leaders for Title I schools.

The qualitative case study examines the impact of instructional coaching as it relates to teacher self-efficacy in their writing instruction. Since limited data exists on the writing practices of teachers, the study will examine the self-efficacy of teachers in grades 3-8. The primary research question for the research study is: What is the Perceived Self-efficacy of Teachers Who Receive Discipline-specific Instruction in Writing through One-on-One Instructional Coaching? From a constructivist view, the researcher examined one school district’s journey with instructional coaching. The researcher compared the difference in self-efficacy of those teachers who were coached in a one-on-one format versus those who received more traditional means of professional learning. Data collection included teacher interviews, document reviews, and observations. Five themes emerged from both groups. Themes included collaboration and communication, educator accountability, unified focus, relevance to the classroom, and trusting relationships. These themes were related to theories of adult learning, change, and critical reflections. Connections were made between findings and research-based best practices in self-efficacy, instructional coaching, and professional learning. No significant difference was found between the two groups in regards to the five themes. However, there was a significant difference in the amount of detail shared and the specificity of the examples given. Those coached in a one-on-one format shared more explicit critical reflections and rated themselves with higher self-efficacy on the Teaching Writing Self-Efficacy Scale. The implications include those for future professional learning in school districts with instructional coaching support.

Described as sitting, “…at the intersection of three current popular approaches to the improvement of teaching and learning – walkthroughs, [professional] networks, and district improvement strategies” (City, Elmore, Fiarman, & Teital, 2011, p. 4)- instructional rounds is designed to bridge the gap between educators and their instruction. At its core, instructional rounds rests upon the same premise as any other community of practice; however, this community of practice has developed a set of protocols and procedures that quickly establishes expectations of the group, group norms, and a common language. THS implemented school-based IR as a way for teachers to build relationships and a common language around instructional practice, while also reflecting on and refining classroom instruction.

This study explores the experiences of ten teachers in the lower school division of The Haverford School (THS) who are engaged in school-based instructional rounds (IR) groups. It aims to understand teachers’ perceptions of IR as aiding in the development of collaborative relationships, as well as the tensions and possibilities that exist around the implementation of IR in a school and how these factors may influence the development of collaborative relationships. Finally, this study explores factors influence the type of learning community that emerges in a school. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

1. What do elementary principals perceive to be the specific knowledge necessary to be an instructional leader?
2. What do elementary principals perceive to be the specific skills necessary to be an instructional leader?
3. What do elementary principals perceive to be the specific behaviors necessary to be an instructional leader?

Many school districts are utilizing instructional coaches to support teachers as they implement their professional learning in the classroom. This study examined teachers’ perceptions of effective instructional coaching practices to gain insight about which aspects of instructional coaching teachers find most supportive in implementing change in the classroom. Adult learning theory, andragogy, was used as the theoretical framework guiding this study. Survey data from the Perceptions of Coaching Survey (PCS) was collected from 116 teachers across six states. These teachers were engaged in professional development on supporting English learners and were receiving follow-up coaching support from their district. Five participants were interviewed to further investigate teachers’ perceptions of coaching practices. Two maintained a month-long journal to reflect on any coaching interactions that occurred. The findings of this study revealed that teachers perceive coaching to have a positive impact in supporting the implementation of change in the classroom, and a primary theme emerged that coaching aims to improve instruction. The aspects of coaching that teachers were most satisfied with focused on implementing classroom strategies including having a coach modeling strategies in the classroom, being observed and receiving feedback from a coach, and watching fellow colleagues teaching the same things. Teachers also identified desirable qualities of coaches, including knowledge, trustworthiness, confidence, positivity, and flexibility from a supportive and consistent, non-administrative presence in the classroom. Teachers reported that what they learn from coaching applies to their current teaching situation and that coaching motivates them to try new things in the classroom.